Musical Notes
by Epicocity
Summary: AU. "It's the big grand gestures that make you realize you're in love, but it's the little things, the musical notes, that make you fall in love in the first place." Before that summer, there were Natsu and Lucy, two kids with a love for music and the lifetime adventure it took them on together. Nalu.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first chapter of MUSICAL NOTES, my Nalu prequel to Musical Chairs. Time will move quite quickly in this story but I hope you'll enjoy Natsu and Lucy's journey. Do note that you don't have to read Musical Chairs to enjoy this story.**

 **Author: Epicocity**

 **Rating: T for language and innuendos**

 **Pairings: Nalu (main), with side helpings of Gale, Gruvia, Jerza and more.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. Those rights belong specifically to Hiro Mashima and Kodansha.**

* * *

 _ **MUSICAL NOTES**_

 _ **A Fairy Tail Fanfiction**_

 _ **Prequel to Musical Chairs**_

Chapter 1

 _Autumn, Sixth Grade_

The poster was easy to miss, yet it had easily captured her attention. It wasn't flashy or flamboyant; just a simple advertisement. Although, it was a simple advertisement that had managed to make Lucy Heartfilia stand in front of it for almost five minutes, her brown eyes beaming at the poster. Truth be told, she hadn't expected to find something like this on her first day at a new school.

"Join the Magnolia Middle School Band Program!" They were simple, yet profound, words to the eleven-year-old blonde who was staring at the poster in adoration. The school had a band! This was, possibly, the best news she'd gotten all day. None of her previous boarding schools had even considered a band program. School was about learning and studying, not blowing notes out of some instrument. Not that it was the main reason Lucy wanted to go to a public school, but it was certainly a contributing factor. She had just finally managed to convince her father to let it happen.

"So, you're interested in band, are you?" said a deep, smooth voice from next to her. Lucy was surprised to hear anything since so far she'd managed to successfully ignore everything else around her.

"Excuse me?" Lucy asked, looking up at her new conversationalist. She certainly had to look up because the guy stood a full head taller than her, his blue hair styled strangely. If Lucy were entirely honest with herself, she'd have said he was classically handsome, but she wasn't one of those girls that started looking for a boyfriend the second that puberty kicked in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself," the boy said, running fingers through his hair casually. Lucy stopped herself from blanching inside. She wasn't stupid she could tell when a guy was flirting with her. "The name's Bora."

"That's…great?" Lucy expressed, not sure what that was supposed to mean. "I'm sorry, I'm new around here, so-"

"It's all right," Bora interrupted smoothly. "You're not the first sixth grader to get lost in these halls. I could show you around if you'd like…" He trailed off, as if waiting for her to tell him her name. She didn't.

"I think I'll be fine," she responded. "I'm not really lost. I was just looking at the poster."

"Ah, yes, the band program," Bora noted, almost like it was clever that he thought of it. "Did you know that we're typically the top program in the city?"

"Really? Are you part of it?" Lucy asked, her tone part interested, part skeptical. Bora scoffed.

"Of course! I, uh…" he said with bravado, digging his hands into his pockets. "I play drums. I know, that sounds a little lame."

"Not at all," Lucy said encouragingly, not even sure why she was continuing with the conversation at all. "I think drums are really cool. I mean, I'm more of a fan of woodwinds myself, but-"

"Give them back, Flame Breath!" yelled a sudden voice that cut off Lucy's rambling.

"Your fault for taking them off, Stripper!" called a different voice. Lucy couldn't see who was saying what because Bora was blocking her view. She didn't have to wait long to find out.

"How about I take your face off, Fire Crotch!" The boy's taunt was followed by the sound of a fist colliding with skin. Less than a second later, it became pandemonium. Someone slid across the floor, knocking Bora's legs out from under him, and landed right in between Lucy's legs.

"Either my hair got lighter or I'm looking at an entirely different pink thing." Lucy only needed the moment to realize the boy was looking at her underwear. She gave a short squeak and backed away, covering her skirt up hastily in embarrassment. "Sorry 'bout that!"

"You should be," Bora grunted as he stood. "No one hits Bora, captain of the basketball team."

"Yeah, whatever Boring," the boy on the floor said as he stood. He waved his arms as he did so, but they were holding a pair of pants which slipped and landed on Bora's face.

"It's Bora!" The kid ignored him, turning towards Lucy instead.

"Hey, I didn't mean to embarrass you like that. It was an accident, I swear," he told her cheerfully. Lucy peered at him skeptically, but the earnestness in his eyes shone through to her. He was completely different than Bora, who was obviously a liar and was walking away now, the pants on his face discarded, his secret outed.

"It's…it's all right," Lucy answered him softly. Now that she got a better look, she was able to take in the boy's features. He looked around her age with bright pink locks that could stand out in just about any crowd. He was also wearing an absolutely infectious grin (which was starting to twitch her own lips upward) and a scarf around his neck, despite it being eighty degrees outside. All this only served to enhance his childish features immensely.

"So, I'm Natsu," he proudly stated. "Natsu Dragneel. What's your name?"

"Natsu, give me back my pants!" called the other voice before Lucy could answer. Natsu turned to the newcomer with a scowl on his face.

"I'd look for your shirt instead, Snowflake," Natsu commented with disdain. The boy, "Snowflake", gave a yelp and Lucy gave another squeak when she realized that the other boy was wearing nothing but his underwear. Lucy blushed a little at the sight. Snowflake quickly grabbed his pants and shirt and clothed himself rapidly.

"You spend one summer with your stripping aunt and you pick up her stupid habits. It's a wonder Ultear doesn't walk around naked-Hello, who's this?" The dark-haired boy seemed to finally notice Lucy.

"I don't know, Gray. She was about to tell me before your freaky stripping habit interrupted our conversation," Natsu declared. Gray (which Lucy realized was his real name) seemed to be pissed off by this because he got in Natsu's face.

"What are you trying to say, slanty eyes?"

"You know what I'm trying to say, droopy eyes. Or do you need me to repeat it at a first grade level for you?"

"That's rich, coming from a Flame-for-Brains like you!" Gray countered as the two boys started grabbing each other's faces. Lucy was alarmed at the rather comedic sight.

"Well, at least my brain isn't sloshing around in Ice Water!" Lucy sighed, realizing that the two boys wouldn't cut it out any time soon.

"It's Lucy," she said quickly. They both suddenly stopped the mutual face pulling to look at her. "My name."

"That's a weird name," Natsu commented quickly. Lucy's eye twitched. _He_ was calling _her_ weird. This was coming from the guy who'd seen her underwear without batting an eye before he'd even introduced himself. "It's nice, though. Loony."

"Lucy!" she snapped, her temper momentarily getting the better of her. The boy named Gray smacked Natsu on the back of his head. Instantly, the boys resumed their mutual facial-stretching action, to Lucy's exasperation.

"Just ignore him, or his stupid will rub off on you," he said to her as Natsu pulled on his lip harder, distorting the way his voice sounded. "I'm Gray Fullbuster, by the way, this idiot's best friend."

"I don't recall you being my best friend." This comment seemed to incense the fight further. Lucy took a step back, hoping not to be caught in the scene. She was glad she did as seconds later a giant black shape whipped outward and smacked the brawling boys right in the face. They barely even let out a whimper and Lucy felt her body shiver a little.

"You two weren't fighting, were you?" called a deep and commanding female voice. Lucy turned her head and saw what was likeliest the most beautiful girl that she'd seen in her whole life. Not that Lucy was into girls, but this one was formidably striking. She had long scarlet hair that was tied into a simple ponytail and slung over her shoulders was a gigantic music case, like it was the carcass of some dead animal. She was dressed modestly with a simple blazer and a skirt, but the aura around her was so commanding that she may as well have been wearing armor, especially with the glare she was levelling at the two boys.

"Erza…" Natsu gasped out from his place on the floor. He seemed to have enough presence of mind to move, though, just enough to wrap an arm around Gray, who reciprocated in kind. "Come on, there was no need to hit us. We were just hanging out like we always do. Ain't that right, best buddy?"

"You know it, Natsu." Lucy couldn't help herself; she raised an eyebrow as far as it would go. Just seconds ago they had been at each other's throats, but all too quickly this "Erza" had made them act super chummy. It was baffling and nigh-on laughable if the scarlet-haired girl wasn't inspiring fear in Lucy. This doubled when she turned her head to her and Lucy let out a barely audible "eep".

"I apologize if these two were causing you any trouble," she said as she strode forward. Lucy couldn't move or even manage a response. "They tend to be a little overzealous at times. If they caused you any harm, you may hit me as my form of atonement."

"H-hit you?" Lucy gasped out in surprise, trying to get over the girl's very formal way of speaking. "No…It's fine. They…they were just talking to me. I'm new here, so-"

"New? Then it's wonderful to meet you!" Before Lucy could protest, her head was slammed rather violently against the girl's chest for a brief moment. "Allow me to introduce myself. Erza Scarlet."

"I'm Lucy," she responded, though Erza looked like she was waiting for more. "Just Lucy."

"Hmm…you look an awful lot like someone I know," Erza mused, her free hand tapping against her chin in thought. Lucy cringed inwardly. She knew where this was going to lead, and it caused her to despair inside. The blonde should have guessed she would be figured out as the daughter of Jude Heartfilia before long. Erza suddenly snapped her fingers. "Are you related to the previous First Chair Flutist for the Fiore National Orchestra, Layla Heartfilia?"

The question shocked Lucy, but obviously not because the Heartfilia connection had been made. Rather, it was because the connection had been made to _Layla_ and not Jude. "Y-yeah. She was my mom."

"I loved watching her solos. I was sorry to hear she had passed. That must have been very hard on you."

"Wait, she's Layla Heartfilia's daughter?" Natsu suddenly spouted, springing up. "No way! Me and Wendy went to one of her concerts once. It was brilliant!"

"Natsu, don't be an insensitive jerk," Gray said with a rather solemn look on his face. Natsu just looked slightly incredulous. "Her mom died, genius."

"I get that," Natsu replied with a fold of his arms. "I wasn't trying to be disrespectful."

"It's all right," Lucy interjected quietly. "My mom died a couple of years ago. I'm used to it by now, so, you don't need to walk on eggshells around me. My mom _was_ brilliant." Lucy beamed at the three of them, actually feeling lighter than she had mere minutes ago. It was nice to talk about her mom without solely making it about her death. "So, if you guys liked my mom's work so much, then that means you're a part of the band?"

"I am," Erza answered confidently. "First Chair Bass Clarinet in the school's top concert band."

"Yeah, yeah, Erza's great," Natsu passed off lazily. It briefly earned a "Tch" from the red-haired girl. "Just wait and see, though. Once I join the band, I'm gonna be the best musician in the entire band!"

"Assuming you even get in," Gray commented nonchalantly.

"Same to you, ice lips!" Lucy had to stop herself from smiling at the ridiculous interaction. She just couldn't help it; for some reason, these two boys brought out a happy feeling. _This must be what it's like to have lifelong friends_. This thought was reinforced by Erza smacking the both of them in the head once again.

"I apologize once again," Erza said. "In any case, it was nice to meet you. I hope to see you around again. Boys, get to class!"

"Yes, Captain Erza!" both boys answered her with a salute before they scrambled off. Lucy didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to them herself before they were gone. On top of that, Erza was already rounding the corner opposite the two boys. Lucy quickly shook herself out of her trance and ran after the scarlet-haired girl.

"Um, wait! Excuse me!" Lucy cried, stumbling a little over her own feet. Thankfully, the hallway wasn't too busy, so Lucy took far less injury than she would otherwise. "Um, Erza!"

Erza finally stopped and a few students almost ran into her, while others hastily skirted around her imposing figure. Lucy caught up to her in seconds while she looked down at her kindly. "Yes, Lucy?"

"I…I was just wondering…" Lucy stuttered out. She was ready to kick herself for choking on her words when she was usually so good with them. Maybe it was the lack of positive social interaction that she'd endured for most of her school career. Nevertheless, Lucy swallowed whatever fear she was holding on to and put her question to the daunting redhead. "I was wondering how I could get into the band program!"

For a second, she thought that she must have spat it all out as one gigantic piece of word garbage, because Erza was looking at her kind of funny. Then, she smiled. "Of course I'll tell you! Sixth graders haven't been picked yet for the bands. Auditions will be in a week to choose who gets into the program, in particular the higher ranked sixth grade band and, of course, chair placement."

"So…I still have time!" Lucy chirruped, her brown eyes shining.

"Indeed. Though I can't promise you'll get in," Erza warned her kindly. Lucy didn't care, excitement flooding her insides. She hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and began making off for her first class.

"That's okay! Thanks for the help, Erza!" Erza cast her an amused smile and a wave before she was out of sight. Lucy couldn't help the grin that stretched her face as she stepped into the hallway where all her classes would be held. Feeling reassured, she stepped into her first period English class and took a seat somewhere in the middle.

It was somewhere between taking her textbook and her notebook out that she realized she was hearing someone snore behind her. For a brief moment, she decided to determinedly ignore it, but that became impossible when someone sitting next to the snorer tried to shake them awake. At that point, Lucy couldn't resist the pull of curiosity anymore and she turned around.

"Oh!" she said quietly upon sight of the duo. Really, she was just surprised that she hadn't noticed the tuft of pink hair that belonged to Natsu when she walked in; he was quite a character to remember. Beside him was a white-haired girl with short hair that was pulling on the boy's arm. In the middle of her futile struggle, she turned and saw Lucy staring at them both.

"Sorry about him," the girl apologized sheepishly. "He's always like this on the first day of school. But he'll get better."

"Oh…it-it's okay," Lucy laughed out, slightly embarrassed that she'd been caught staring. With a brief flicker of a smile on her face, she turned back to the front while the girl continued to try and wake Natsu up. Her attempts were mostly futile. Moments later, the teacher stood and Lucy's first day began.

It was at this moment that the blonde blocked everything out for the remainder of the day as much as possible, including the very loud Natsu. Not that she had him in many classes. In fact, her first class was the only one he actually _was_ in. The same could not be said for the other boy that she'd met that morning. Gray was in at least two of her classes, and she quickly learned that stripping was an actual habit of his. By the end of their second class together, Lucy was no longer alarmed by seeing him in nothing but his skivvies. None of the other students were, either.

Perhaps it was easy for Lucy to block out all those miscellaneous distractions when all she had on her mind was the anticipation of going home and cracking open her flute case, or maybe even the small room that had been set aside for all of her mother's musical accomplishments. She felt completely giddy at the very notion…at least, until she sat down alone at lunch. While everyone around her chattered about, Lucy cracked open her books and got started on the homework that the teachers had already assigned for the day. Her fellow students had groaned at the concept of homework on the first day, but after all the upper level boarding schools she'd gone to, she was hardly surprised.

Somewhere between her first two assignments, an unsettling thought struck deep into Lucy's mind: she'd have to tell her father. That very thought made Lucy put her pencil down onto her paper in despair. Her father never had been the greatest at listening. Especially after her mother had died. He retreated into his work and left discussion of everything else by the wayside. Lucy might not have minded so much at first, but when it became increasingly obvious that Jude wanted her to be the epitome of a perfect daughter, she began to feel pressured, and she began to dislike her father.

The tension between father and daughter had reached a boiling point at the end of the last school year, when Lucy actually punched a kid at school for making a crack about her mother. She got suspended and her father became furious with her. At that moment, the floodgates of anger that Lucy had been keeping shut sprang open and she delivered a vicious diatribe to her father. Following that, they didn't speak for almost a month until her father had delivered a compromise that allowed Lucy to choose her own school in the coming fall. For that very reason, Lucy had chosen Magnolia: it was far away from anyone she knew, was a lovely location, and most importantly, was the location of the only concert that Lucy had gone to while her mother was still alive. Jude was reluctant, but eventually agreed.

None of that meant he'd agree to her actually joining a band herself. The thought was a damper on Lucy's mood and she spent the remainder of her day trying to figure out a way to break the subject with her father. She couldn't come up with a single idea by the time she was walking out of the school front doors.

"How do you talk to a guy who brings his work to dinner?" Lucy mumbled to herself by the time she reached the Magnolia River. In the distance, she could see the manor that her father had bought. She didn't care to live in such a big building, but her father had never been one to skimp on anything. As a result, he'd bought the biggest building Magnolia had to offer from a portly lady that managed a whole complex of buildings. Lucy sighed and saw the sign "Strawberry Street", which made her pick up her pace along the river's edge.

"Hey, careful little girl, or you'll fall in!" called a pair of boatmen on the river. Lucy ignored them and finished the journey to her house…mansion…whatever it was called.

"I'm home!" Lucy called when she got in the door, her voice echoing all around.

"Greetings, princess!" a voice called right next to her. Lucy jumped, her bag falling to the floor with a crash. "I clearly startled you. Does that mean punishment?"

"No, it does not, Virgo," Lucy sighed out wearily, finally looking at the teenaged girl standing beside the door. It was hard to believe that her father would hire a teenage girl to serve as a maid and Lucy's personal attendant, but Virgo took to the job with ease, even if she requested punishment from her mistress every other sentence. "Is dad home yet?"

"Your father will be home in time for dinner in approximately one hour, princess. I have taken the time to prepare suitable dinner clothes for you, as well." Lucy frowned. She hated the clothes she had to wear to dinner. Just once she'd like to feel like a real family at the dinner table, filled with laughter and good times. Her father wouldn't change, though, and dinner would always be a formal affair with him, if it even happened at all.

"Thanks, Virgo."

"Would you like me to help you change, princess?"

"Absolutely not!" Lucy snapped. Virgo gave a final bow and Lucy left the maid's presence. She ran up the stairs two at a time before she finally reached her rather large room. For most girls her age, it would probably be a dream come true. After all, Lucy's room had almost everything one could want such as a fancy laptop, clothes galore and even a television with surround sound. Lucy hardly cared for it, and she cared even less for the dress that was lying on her bed. Another sigh escaped her lips and she turned away from the dress. Instead, she flipped her laptop open, the screen lightning up to what she'd been watching that morning before school. She clicked play.

The sounds of a majestic flute filled the air and Lucy closed her eyes, listening to the beautiful notes wash over her. It had been her mother's last composition before she died. Unbidden, tears pooled in Lucy's eyes and she only noticed it when the video ended and the tears splashed onto her hands. Lucy sniffled and grabbed some tissues, wiping her eyes so that no trace of the tears remained. She then got changed just in time for the knock on her door.

"Laady Lucy, your father asks that you join him for dinner."

"Tell him I'll be right down, Capricorn." No other sound was made outside her door, so she guessed that Capricorn had left. Lucy took a deep breath and opened the door, making sure not to trip over the hem of her dress.

The smell of food wafted out from the dining room, smelling remarkably like chicken soup and roasted steak. She didn't know how she missed it before. Taking in a whiff of the food, Lucy traveled down the stairs as deliberately as possible, slowly making her way to the dining room. She poked her head inside and saw that, sure enough, Jude was seated at the table with a stack of work documents right beside him, along with a bowl of soup. Her own bowl of soup was just two places away. Lucy finally walked in and proceeded to her seat without a word from her father. She didn't wait for an invitation to start in on her soup.

A few minutes of a failed attempt at silent slurping later and her father actually looked up. Lucy smiled nervously, feeling just a little embarrassed. He blinked at her before his pen resumed its scratching across the page. "How was your day, Lucy?"

"Me?" she blurted out without thinking. Her father rarely asked her about her day…maybe it was something new he was trying in Magnolia. Still, Lucy thought it best to remember her place and she cleared her throat, her hands nervously flattening the creases in her dress. "It was good…I guess."

"And school? Was it to your liking?" Lucy was looking down now, her hands moving even faster.

"Yes," she said quietly. For a brief moment, Lucy dared to look up at her father. He wasn't looking at her, but the blonde thought that maybe the corners of his lips were turned up somewhat. Of course, it didn't stop him from working, and silence returned. Lucy's hands moved to return to her soup only to find that Capricorn had replaced it with a steak. She took it in stride and started in on the dinner.

"I'll be going on another business trip in a week," Jude finally informed his daughter when she was nearly done eating. "I've got some talks about expanding the railways into Veronica."

"Oh…" Lucy said in response. She didn't really understand the world of business, or why her father needed to leave so much to conduct it. "How long will you be gone?"

"At most, a week," he answered. Finally, he finished working on all of his papers and he pushed them aside to replace them with his plate. "Now then, tell me about school."

It was more of a command than a request, but Lucy leapt at the opportunity to talk with her father about something so mundane. "It's big and comfy and the other kids were really friendly! There were these two boys named Natsu and Gray who fight a lot but seem really close. They also have a friend named Erza who helped me out, though she scares me a little."

"And your classes? Are they challenging?"

"It's only the first day, papa! Though I do have some homework." Her father opened his mouth here, but Lucy managed to beat him to the punch this time around. "I'm almost done with it. I did most of it at lunch. Oh, and they have a music program, papa!"

"Music…?" Lucy should have seen the way her father's face had changed, but she was so lost in her own musings that she couldn't stop. All that worry melted away the second she blurted out what she said next.

"Auditions are in a week and I've been practicing since mama-" Here, Lucy finally realized what she said and abruptly stopped spewing words. Her eyes widened and Lucy looked up at her father. Had she crossed the line? Was he going to put his foot down? Jude wiped his mouth with his cloth napkin and placed his silverware down. Lucy felt her breath catch. "I'm sorry, papa…I-I just…"

"Lucy," he said sternly. She was afraid to look at him. "Lucy, look at me."

"Y-yes, papa?' she stuttered out, raising her head to look at her father. He sighed.

"We had an agreement, Lucy," Jude began softly. "We agreed that you would go to the school of your choice and that you would be allowed to participate in whatever clubs or programs you so choose. I don't want a repeat of what happened in spring."

"Then you'll let me join the band?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Feel free. I am trying to be a better father to you," Jude admitted. "If joining the music program helps to make you happy, then it makes me happy. Besides…perhaps the music room has remained dusty for too long."

"Thank you, papa!" Lucy, throwing caution to the wind, leapt out of her chair and embraced her father. "If I make it in, will you come to my concerts?"

"I'll try, but you know that I'm a busy man." She didn't let her father's words dissuade her, even if he didn't hug her back. His simple permission was enough to make her want to go bouncing off the walls. Being a Heartfilia, however, Lucy composed herself and returned to her own seat to finish the meal. They didn't exchange another word for the rest of dinner, but Lucy ignored that fact and ended up skipping up the stairs to her room. As she flopped on her bed, she noticed her dog, Plue, lazily licking a lollipop. Of course, the food was probably bad for the dog, but considering Plue had yet to get sick from it, she left the dog to his own devices and slipped off her bed to the floor.

Lucy flipped her sheets upward and grabbed the box underneath the bed in order to drag it over to her desk and snap it open with a smile. Resting inside was an old flute: the very first one that Lucy had gotten for her birthday four years ago. It was already quite used and probably out of tune since she'd kept her practicing a secret from her father until tonight. The flute was a little grimy and not too attractive, but she hoped that it would pull her through auditions. Lucy felt her fingers ghost over the cool surface and she reached to grab it before a sharp rap on the door stopped her.

"Hey, girl, open the door!" snapped an older feminine voice on the other side. Lucy hastily closed the box and walked to her door to open it. Standing outside was another of her family's house staff wearing a look of impatience and annoyance as she flung her turquoise hair over her shoulder. Lucy stopped herself from eeping and bowed before the woman.

"Hello, Miss Aquarius," Lucy said politely, if timidly.

"Tch…spoiled brat," Aquarius muttered. Lucy kept her mouth shut, used to the short-tempered woman's insults. The woman continued to frown before she patted Lucy on the head briefly. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Just hurry up!" Lucy chose not to challenge her anymore and started padding after Aquarius, who didn't look bothered to wait up. Eventually, Lucy caught up to her standing outside a door on the first floor. That was where Lucy stopped, staring at the white sheets covering the glass doors inside. Aquarius pushed the doors open and the lights in the room clicked on, but Lucy felt her legs turning to jelly. "Come on, brat!"

Lucy felt her feet start to take one step in front of the other, each one feeling more like lead the closer she got. She stopped at the threshold, staring at the white sheets slowly being uncovered by Aquarius. Then there was a hand on her back, pushing her forward. Lucy stumbled a little before regaining her balance and looking back to see Capricorn and Virgo smiling back at her. She turned once more to see the room finally uncovered and gleaming. Turning on the spot, the girl saw the grand piano and numerous chairs and stands, combined with speakers and the cases upon cases that lined the walls, filled with more sheets of music than Lucy could probably ever play in her lifetime.

"What…?" Lucy finally gasped out.

"Here," Aquarius said, a little softer than she had before. Lucy felt something placed into her hands. She looked down and saw the thin black instrument case. With trembling hands, Lucy placed the case on a solid surface and snapped it open, the sound reverberating around the acoustically tuned room. It was almost like a hiss of air escaped the case as it finally opened. Tears instantly came to Lucy's eyes.

"Is this…?" Lucy whispered.

"Indeed it is," Capricorn told her. "That was the very flute your mother used." Lucy swallowed thickly and reached out slowly. The flute, her mother's flute, was sitting there, reflecting the light so brightly that Lucy almost thought it would blind her.

"Not that you'll be the same as your mother," Aquarius said, "but after hearing you talk with your dad, we all decided it was time. It's yours."

"Really?" Lucy asked, the tears turning into pure joy flowing from her eyes. Her hand finally touched the flute and picked it up. As her fingers lightly clasped over it, she felt warmth seep into her. It felt like the flute was finally home; like all of this was home. And when her lips rose to play a single note, it sounded so angelic that even Aquarius looked as though she was going to cry. "Thank you, mama. I'll make you happy in heaven."

And when little Lucy Heartfilia said that, she had no idea the adventure those words would lead her on.

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 **Author's Note: Yes! A Nalu prequel to Musical Chairs. Many wanted a sequel and while I have potential ideas for that, this prequel came first and here it is. I can't promise an update schedule or anything, but I can promise it will be good. This will take place over a course of many years, so forgive me if it moves quickly over time. Also, be sure to check out my other stories including my one-shot Tiger, Tiger and the other prequel, Musical Measures. Well, until next time, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Now for more on Natsu and Lucy's musical adventure, which sounds far more campy than it really is. Anyway, read Chapter 2 and I'll see you at the end!**

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Chapter 2

Music had once again filled the Heartfilia household. True, it wasn't as if Lucy was playing her flute all the time, but for the times she did play it, the Magnolia manor seemed all the brighter for it. The best part was that Lucy wasn't alone. Capricorn was a master at the piano and was always willing to play as an accompaniment to her when he wasn't helping her father. Virgo, likewise, showed much enthusiasm for playing the cymbals, though she was woefully lacking in skill and asked for punishment when she performed incorrectly. The bottom line, however, was that if Lucy got her homework done, she was free to use the music room and practice as much as she wanted in preparation for the upcoming audition.

The night before her father left on his business trip, he stopped by the room to watch Lucy play and when she stopped to evaluate the fingering for a rather difficult part of the piece, she noticed him there. "Papa! I found this piece tucked inside one of mama's books. Come, look!"

Upon Lucy's insistent waves, Jude smiled and weaved through the scattered music stands to reach his daughter who was holding out the sheet of music. Lucy beamed up at him while he took it. "Is this one of your mother's?"

"Yeah! It's called 'The Celestial Sea', but I don't think mama ever finished it," Lucy commented with a tiny pout on her lips. Jude reached down and ruffled his daughter's hair. "I wanted to use it for the audition, but since it's incomplete I'll have to go with something else."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Lucy," Jude told her with another affectionate smile. "Now, before I go tomorrow, I want to remind you that Capricorn is in charge and he'll make sure you keep your studies up. Naturally, I wish you luck on your audition tomorrow. I'll look forward to hearing the results when I return."

Her father gave another ruffle of her hair, forcing Lucy to adjust the ribbon in it. By the time she had done so, her father had departed the room. He may not have been the cold and socially demanding father that he was before the spring, but she still hated it when he would just disappear from the room without even a word of farewell. Sighing to herself, Lucy placed her flute back into its case and packed up the music as well. It would have to be good enough for tomorrow.

Lucy had been practicing practically every night and felt she should at _least_ be able to get into the program. No, she _would_ get into the program, no matter what the hurdle was. She felt confident of that. Snorting outward, Lucy moved to put the folder that contained her mother's music back where she got it. Unfortunately for the short-statured blonde, said position was a little higher than her tiptoes would reach. While her fingers were able to brush against the folder just enough to insert it into place, that action sent a book tumbling to the floor, though it was more accurate to say that it hit Lucy's head. Dazed, and a little miffed, Lucy swiped the book from where it had fallen without even looking at the cover.

"Are you okay, princess?" Virgo asked, poking her head in.

"Just peachy…" Lucy grumbled while grabbing her flute and her audition piece. She then started stomping towards the exit from the room, rubbing the bruise on her head.

"Your bath is ready, by the way. If you need me, I'll be in the punishment room," Virgo informed her. Lucy resisted the urge to comment as she passed the pink-haired girl. Rather, she thanked her and continued to stomp irritably up the stairs to her room. She slammed the offending book on her desk and softly put her other items by her bag. Then she proceeded to her bathroom for a nice long soak. Once she had relaxed and let all those ancillary worrisome thoughts float out of her head, Lucy drained the tub and dried herself off. Before she stepped back into her room, she changed into her pajamas and began yawning loudly, her eyes squinted shut. That turned out to be a recipe for disaster when she banged into her desk, forcing her to steady herself on it.

Her hand just happened to find the book that had bopped her on the head. Lucy grumbled inwardly and prepared herself to pitch the book into some forgotten corner of the room. She would have, if she hadn't caught sight of the cover: "Miss Layla and the Magical Instrument". Lucy stopped herself, recognizing the book for exactly what it was. It was _her_ book; one she had written about a year before her mother's death. At the time, Lucy had fancied herself as some sort of writer, which was actively encouraged by her mother. This, no doubt, had to be the reason the book had been professionally bound. It also looked quite used.

Caught in a veritable trance, Lucy kept the book at her side when she shimmied into her bed. Once she was propped up against her pillows, she finally cracked the book wide open. Inside the very first page was a dedication to her mother; no surprise there given the title of the book. Before she knew it, Lucy was flicking through the horribly illustrated but surprisingly well-written book. The story was simple, having been about a young and aspiring musician that found a magical instrument that made her the best musician in the world. Typically, the plot became a cliché as the instrument slowly ruined the musician's life until she learned to play well on her own. She even fell in love with a handsome businessman that became her manager! All in all, it was rather hackneyed, though Lucy accepted that, since she was in third grade when she wrote it.

A reminder of happier times was all the book struck within Lucy, and it made her smile just a little when she put the book on her nightstand and went to sleep.

The next morning, she was still thinking about it, even going so far as to slip it in her bag while grabbing the French toast that had been made for her. Those thoughts didn't last long when she arrived at school, flute in hand. With a small sense of horror, she realized that she was actually about to perform an audition. The thought was utterly frightening and nerve-wracking to her. Natsu and Gray appeared to be embracing it, because Natsu was acting more obnoxious that usual and Gray was a surprising chatterbox to her. He seemed to think she was a great sounding board despite the fact that Lucy ignored him.

Lucy could barely stomach lunch, and hadn't completed a single speck of her homework by the time it was done. She could only drift through the day and feel her stomach fall out with every step towards the large band room complex. Lucy paled a little, remembering that the band room was actually three rooms for practice. That made it all the more daunting as she stepped over the threshold.

The room was absolutely swarmed with sixth graders. Some had their instruments out and were practicing. Others were sitting confidently, or talking with friends, or beating each other up like Natsu and Gray were. Then there were the kids who looked ready to throw up. Lucy purposefully avoided them. She didn't want to make herself more nervous than she already was. Instead, she sat next to a girl that had her face buried in a book, and held her flute case close to her knees. There wasn't anyone else too near to them so Lucy breathed a little. Before long, a short, older man stepped on to the podium in the room.

"Settle down, kiddos," he said softly, but with enough authority to make even Natsu and Gray listen. "I'm sure you're all here for the auditions, so I'll get straight to the point. I'm Yajima, the sixth grade band teacher, and I'll be overseeing the auditions. We'll be taking each of you in groups of three. First up will be flutes, clarinets, and saxophones." As he spoke of the three different instruments, he pointed to the doors that led to smaller rooms. "So, first we'll take Sherry Blendy for flutes, Juvia Lockser for clarinets, and…"

Lucy zoned out after that. She wasn't going first and that was all that mattered. Shortly after, the room returned to its state of disorderly chaos and all was well. It seemed auditions took only a few minutes because the one called Sherry left the room looking smug a couple minutes later. Lucy sighed in relief when her name wasn't called next. That was when she felt her chair shaking erratically and the blonde turned her head to see the girl next to her bouncing her leg in poorly concealed nervousness.

"Nervous?" she asked before she could even think to stop herself. The girl lowered her book, stopped her leg, and looked at Lucy in apology, her blue hair hanging over her eyes for a moment.

"Sorry…Am I bothering you?" she asked sweetly.

"No!" Lucy assured her. "Just…I'm nervous, too. What are you reading?"

"Oh, _Pride and Prejudice_." Lucy raised an eyebrow at the girl's answer. She already looked halfway through the large volume. "It's like my comfort book. This is the fourth…no…fifth time I've read it."

"That's impressive," Lucy commented with a smile. The bluenette just gave a little shrug.

"I like reading. How about you?" Her eyes seemed to light up and Lucy, for just a moment, was unsure of how to respond. She recovered rather quickly.

"Yeah, I like reading, though I haven't had a lot of time lately," Lucy admitted. It was all true, though she neglected to mention that she had a library at home.

"I know the feeling. These auditions have practically obliterated my reading time. I'm Levy McGarden, by the way. Nice to meet you." She had said all of this with such a sincere kindness that Lucy felt elated to take the girl's hand and shake it.

"Lucy," she answered back. "So, what do you play?"

"Flute, just like you," Levy answered. "I'm not that great, though. I'm not even sure if I'll even get in."

"Don't say that! We all have a shot," Lucy told her sternly, though it was more to convince herself than anything else. Levy smiled appreciatively before letting out a sigh.

"I'm sure my friends will make it in, so I just want to get in. They'll be really depressed if I don't."

"What do they play?"

"Jet plays the drums and my friend Droy's on the baritone…or was it trombone?" Lucy laughed a little at the bluenette's lapse of memory before Levy joined in. The conversation was making her feel less tense by the minute. That sense of ease was demolished within seconds.

"Flutes, Lucy Heartfilia. Saxophones, Gajeel Redfox…"

Lucy paled but stood, clasping both her flute and her bag to her chest. She noticed her zipper on her bag was a little undone and became a little too fixated on it. As a result, she bumped into someone.

"Watch it!" he grunted angrily. Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded demurely, avoiding the boy's gaze. "What're you lookin' at, shrimp?"

"Nothing!" Levy snapped. The boy scoffed and moved away. Lucy began taking slow steps after him. "Don't worry about that jerk. Good luck, Lu-chan!"

It was such a simple statement, but Levy's words emboldened the blonde. She instantly felt more confident. They were filled with such genuine good will and no undercurrent of malice or expectations. Levy, for having just met the blonde, truly wanted Lucy to do well on her audition. Somehow, that was all she could ask for. Sucking in another breath, Lucy walked over to the room indicated for the flutes. She pushed the door open and entered, hearing it close behind her with a veritable clang. A chair and music stand were right before her in the room, so she took a seat and instantly got her flute out, before the teacher in the room could say anything.

"Hello, Miss Heartfilia, I'm Mr. Gryder," said the black-haired teacher. That was about all Lucy registered about the man. Lucy did, unfortunately, notice the camera in the corner. Mr. Gryder seemed to notice that she did. "Don't worry about it. We only use the recordings if we have a hard time deciding. Anyway, what we're going to have you do for us today is play the audition piece we provided for you when you registered. After that, we'll allow you a minute for playing any piece of your choosing. That's it. Easy, right?"

Lucy didn't answer with her voice, opting for a rather subtle nod of her head. Mr. Gryder then sat back and held his clipboard on his knees. Lucy breathed deeply, allowing it to steady her nerves. She looked at her flute as she raised the instrument to her lips and remembered a rather comforting thought: her mother was here with her. All her well wishes and confidence were contained in the flute that Lucy was now about to play. Knowing that helped Lucy to banish all her previous fears. At last, she began to play.

The audition piece was simple enough, clearly made for even the most basic players. Lucy had been practicing it daily, too, and that made it easy. The notes flowed from her flute in an uninterrupted stream. It did help as a warmup piece, running her through a simple time change from 4/4 to 3/4 and back again, then a tempo change was indicated before swelling to a fortissimo and quieting into a pianissimo by the end. The teachers were very obviously testing to see how well a student could adapt to all the musical properties of a single piece. As expected, Lucy was done with the set audition piece quickly and she immediately pulled out the piece she decided to use.

This piece was a little more complex, with a slightly trickier time change and a more expansive breadth of notes. Naturally, Lucy had been practicing it religiously for the last week and was able to anticipate each change as it needed to be done. Before she could really get started, Mr. Gryder held up a hand for her to stop.

"That's all we have time for," he said. Lucy didn't look at him but she guessed he was sending her a smile. "We'll be posting the results of the auditions in a week's time outside the band room, so check back then. Hand this to Mr. Yajima outside."

Mr. Gryder then handed Lucy a little slip of paper after allowing her to pack everything up. Lucy felt her heart still beating wildly in her chest when she left the room and handed the paper to the older teacher. The blonde was hardly paying attention, but she did vaguely hear Levy's name being called. Lucy just clutched her flute case tighter and left the band room, her feet beating all too quick a pace out of school and on her way back home.

Had she done well? Or was she just fooling herself into thinking she had done so? It was hard to tell. Lucy was certain that she hadn't let her nerves get the better of her, but there was really no guarantee that it had let her perform well. There were probably many others that were even better, had been playing longer, than she. This silent agonizing lasted all the way to home and well into dinner. Truthfully, it lasted until Aquarius took an empty flower pot (plastic, thankfully) and bopped her on the head.

"Results aren't for another week. Get over it!" After that, Lucy stopped freaking out and focused on what she could control…which was her homework. Since she hadn't done any during lunch, Lucy had to play a slight game of catch up and finished just in time for her bath before she went to sleep.

The next morning, she didn't feel quite so apprehensive. She hadn't quite forgotten that the results were now only six days away, but she wasn't nearly as worried…even if that was only because she was more worried about what Aquarius would do to her if she was. Lucy was grateful for the older woman's admonishment because it allowed her to block that distraction and get back to class. She was even able to think about homework at lunch, if only for a few minutes.

"Hey, Lu-chan!" called Levy's voice, and Lucy could swear the voice was right next to her. Confused about that, Lucy looked up and practically jumped when she saw the cheerful bluenette sitting across from her.

"Levy!" she gasped out with the jump.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to return this," Levy told her, sliding an object across the lunch table to her. Lucy looked down to see it was a book. More than that, she realized with mortification, it was _her_ book. It was the book she had written. "You dropped it and ran out of the room so fast that I didn't have time to return it."

"You…you didn't read it, did you?" Lucy asked, flush with embarrassment. Levy grinned nervously and Lucy felt herself shrink a little, her worst fear confirmed.

"Oh, don't be like that, Lu-chan!" Levy laughed out, reaching over and patting Lucy's hand reassuringly. "It was really good! I think you'd make a great writer."

"Really?" Lucy asked. She'd never thought about a career like that. True, she'd always loved music and wanted to very much be part of the band, but she'd never really considered making that her whole life. Maybe Levy had hit on something.

"So, mind if I join you for lunch?" Lucy's eyes widened fractionally.

" _You_ want to sit with _me_?" Nobody had ever wanted to sit with her at lunch before, unless it was to make use of the connection to her father. Levy laughed lightly.

"Yeah. You seem pretty cool, and you're into books, so that's a plus," Levy said, already taking out her own bag lunch. "It would also be a nice change to get away from Jet and Droy. I love them, but not in the way they've wanted me to ever since puberty kicked in. They seem to think I haven't noticed."

"Um…okay…sure!" Lucy stammered in response. "Yeah, you can join me."

"Great!" Levy responded, biting into her sandwich. "Anyway, what brought you to Magnolia Middle School? I mean, I've heard things through the rumor mill, but you can rarely trust them. All I know is that your last name's Heartfilia and your mother was a first chair flutist. Come to think of it, I actually saw her perform once. It got me into music, actually."

"My mom was pretty great…but, uh, I'm here because when I visited Magnolia once before, it gave me a lot of fond memories. That, and I hated the academies I attended before. Being the daughter of the Heartfilia Railways CEO isn't easy."

"I figured as much," Levy interjected with another bite of food. "I just didn't want to say anything because I thought you might be embarrassed about it."

"Thanks for that," Lucy sighed out.

"No problem," Levy remarked. She finished off her sandwich and reached down to pull a book out of her bag. "You said yesterday that you liked reading, so I pulled this one. I don't know if you've read it or not, but I love it." Lucy glanced down at the cover and smiled at it.

"It's a great book, isn't it?"

"Yeah. You want to talk about it? If that's okay." Lucy debated for a moment before pushing her homework to the side in silent answer. "Great. I think we'll be the best of friends, Lu-chan!"

Friends…The word was so foreign to Lucy, but it made her happier beyond compare. "Yeah! Let's be friends!"

* * *

Having Levy as a friend opened up a whole new plethora of possibilities for the blonde, namely the fact that she didn't spend that whole week stressing out about audition results. The two girls connected easily, mostly over their shared love of books and Levy wanting to see more of Lucy's writing. Lucy was only able to hold her off by promising that she'd show her the manor's library sometime. Levy hopped off squealing with joy. The next day they started a simple book exchange at lunch and would talk about them. The auditions never came up and Lucy was sure it was because neither of them wanted to talk about it.

By the day of the audition results, the two girls were practically thick as thieves. True, Lucy had yet to meet Jet and Droy but she hardly considered that a loss. Most interesting was the fact that Levy knew the formidable trio of Natsu, Gray, and Erza. As it turned out, they had all been friend since their time in kindergarten at Magnolia Primary. That didn't surprise Lucy too much; she'd seen plenty firsthand to suggest that Natsu loved having friends. Either way, Lucy felt closer, if just a little, to having an actual group of friends and not just her doll.

Then came the results posting.

As expected, there was a mob of people outside the band room where the papers were affixed to the wall, each one of them clamoring for a look. Lucy and Levy, who both agreed to meet up, stuck close together as they forced their way through the crowd. It was hardly easy going because people were pouring in to take a look while a number of dejected students walked away. None of it made Lucy's hopes any higher. Before they made it to the papers, Lucy most assuredly heard Natsu's voice.

"Suck it, Frosty! I told you I'd make it in!"

"Yeah, well I did, too, Lava Brain." Judging from the ensuing sounds, the two were locked into mortal combat that gratefully moved away from the postings. The commotion helped Lucy and Levy to finally reach the list. Lucy almost didn't want to look, and spent time looking at the other sections first, noticing Natsu and Gray's names at the top of their sections (it turned out that Gray played trumpet). There were a few other names, but Lucy finally turned her eyes towards the flutes upon feeling that Levy was ready to cut off the circulation in her arm.

Lowering her eyes just a fraction, she saw the labelling "1st Chair" and next to it were the words "Levy McGarden". Lucy was excited that her new friend had managed to make first chair, but at the same time, it freaked her out about her own prospects. Her eyes slid down further, ready to catch her breath and walk away in disappointment. She didn't look far, because under Levy's name was hers. Lucy Heartfilia had gotten in. Better yet, Lucy Heartfilia had made 2nd Chair! Together, both Lucy and Levy screamed in excitement and gave each other a hug. They very briefly registered the note telling them to meet in the band room at this time tomorrow and they left, chatting jubilantly until they had to separate for home. Lucy ran along the river edge, getting yelled at by that same pair of boatmen until she slammed the front door of the manor open.

"I got in!"

"Keep it down!" Aquarius yelled back. Lucy continued to smile and saw Capricorn swiftly approaching her, bowing slightly.

"That's wonderful Laady Lucy. I shall inform the cook to make you a resplendent meal," he informed her as he took her bag gracefully. "I will also be sure to tell your father. What placement did you make?"

"Second chair," the blonde answered with a great rush of pride.

"Excellent. Your mother would be most proud."

Capricorn must have known the effect those words would have on Lucy, because when she heard them, she actually hugged Capricorn in gratitude. He responded by stroking her hair kindly. Amidst those tears of joy, Lucy couldn't wait for tomorrow.

* * *

"Settle down, kiddos, settle down. Get into your seats, everyone," called Mr. Yajima. Twenty-four hours had flown by in the blink of an eye and Lucy was currently sitting on her chair with an air of utmost anticipation. Levy was just as excited next to her. Conversely, their third chair, a girl by the name of Sherry Blendy, was looking at the both of them like they were out of their minds. Lucy pointedly ignored her, while waiting for Mr. Yajima to start. It didn't take long for Natsu to finally shut himself up. From her observation, he may have been a loudmouth, but he absolutely respected Mr. Yajima. "All right, congrats to all of you for making it in. I'm happy to be workin' with ya!"

Here, he gave a thumbs up and all the students laughed. Yajima seemed particularly easygoing and it let Lucy slacken her jaw from whatever tension she was feeling. Yajima cleared his throat and stepped down from his podium to hand Levy a sheaf of paper before moving to the row behind them. "This is just a small packet containing our schedule for the year. Also, thanks to my friend Macky, I came up with a system to let sixth graders help each other. To do that, I split all of you into groups of eight, nine, or ten. Once or twice a week, we'll have free practice for you to work with your group. We'll also use the last fifteen minutes of practice today for you to meet everyone in your group. Your group number is on the top of that packet there."

Lucy finally took the opportunity to look at her packet and saw that she was in Group 2. She didn't have time to look at much else because, now, Mr. Yajima was coming along with their first piece for the eventual Winter Festival Concert. Lucy shoved the schedule in her bag and grabbed a 1st Flute arrangement for the piece before it joined the schedule. She would just share the stand with Levy. Glancing at the three-page piece, it didn't look too terribly complicated, though perhaps a little long.

The rest of the band didn't seem to think of it in that way, because they had fallen apart before the first few bars were even over. It might have been that the piece was too hard for the others to play (even Lucy could admit to missing a few notes here and there) or maybe it was just that they sucked at working together. Lucy wanted to bet on the latter. All things considered, they had barely made it through the first page by the time Yajima was telling them to pack up. Once everyone had, Yajima went around the room and posted papers with numbers on them up to a whopping _twelve_ groups. The instruction was obvious, so Lucy waved Levy goodbye and walked over to the big red two.

"Why am I in a group with you, Snowman?"

"Beats me, Flamesilocks." Lucy almost rolled her eyes. Coincidence had a poor sense of humor if it had decided to put Natsu and Gray in the same group as her. "Hey, Lucy, you made it in!"

"Hi…" Lucy squeaked out, finally glancing over the two brawling boys. She also noticed that the other members of their group had arrived. Most of the faces were unfamiliar to her, but Lucy was surprised to find the girl that was friends with Natsu from their English class. She smiled at Lucy and gave a small wave upon recognizing her.

"All right! Let's get this party started!" Natsu yelled out, overpowering all other chatter in the room.

"Pipe down!" grunted a boy from their group. The voice, unlike the face, was familiar. It was the same boy that had been such a jerk to her on the day of auditions. Of course, if his voice wasn't frightening enough, his face certainly did the job. The boy wore a positively nasty snarl that was combined with piercings that dotted his face. He was glaring away from Natsu, as if he was more disinterested than Lucy suspected he was.

"Yeah? Don't test me, Rivet Face!"

"Oh, I know you ain't talkin' to me with that voice, Salamander!" the boy snapped back.

"Salamander?" Lucy blurted out, so confused by the different nickname that she couldn't stop it.

"It's Natsu's nickname," replied the girl from English. "Ever since we've been little, Natsu's loved playing with fire. I think he'd live in it if had the chance. He loves it so much that he got tons of fire-creature related memorabilia. That's how the name got started. I'm Lisanna, by the way."

Lucy was ready to answer, but Gray started talking over her. "You know, maybe we should all introduce ourselves before Natsu starts an incident he'll regret. I'm Gray Fullbuster, trumpet. What's yours?"

He had asked this question of a very shy and quiet girl with long, curled blue hair and a downcast expression. She looked up at Gray's question, like she was surprised that he noticed her. Lucy looked over to the girl, who was now fidgeting slightly under Gray's gaze. "J…Juvia is…Juvia…Lockser." She waited for a beat and then added as an afterthought, "Clarinet."

"That's a nice name," Gray commented lazily, "but you should be more proud of it and speak up." It seemed rather insensitive to Lucy's ears, but Juvia didn't look offended. If anything, she was looking at Gray like his words had opened up her world. Lucy cleared her throat just a little.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia, flute," she told them. To her astonishment, no one seemed to notice or care that her last name was Heartfilia.

"Well, I'm Lisanna Strauss and I play the tuba."

"Which is a totally manly instrument!" called the big burly boy next to Lisanna. He had a matching color hair and was wearing a big grin. "Name's Elfman Strauss. I play the manly baritone and I'm Lisanna's big bro."

"Really?" Lucy asked. "Were you, like, older by twelve minutes or something, because you're in the same grade?"

"No, Elf's actually almost a year older than me, but he just missed the cut off to be part of the Seventh graders."

"Sixth grade is manly, though."

"We get it, Elf," Lisanna encouraged him comfortingly by patting his bicep, which was larger than her hand. She then gave Lucy an amused smile and they moved on.

"I'm Warren Rocko and I play the trombone. I'm not that good, though," responded a black haired boy with big lips. "And can I say that you ladies have my seal of approval." Lucy rolled her eyes at the decidedly lewd comment and noticed that Lisanna was doing the same. After they had stopped, all eyes in the group turned to the black-haired boy with piercings who was giving a surly stare into space. He finally noticed after a minute.

"What? I'm Gajeel Redfox. I play the saxophone and I'm only here because Rain Woman over here suggested it."

"Th-that's not true!" Juvia pouted in response. Gajeel scoffed in response.

"And I'm Natsu Dragneel! Drummer extraordinaire!" Natsu announced. Gray joined in on the scoffing at his comment while Lisanna giggled. "Now then, members of Team Natsu, I proclaim that in order for us to be an awesome group, we need to eat lunch together starting tomorrow!"

"Since when are we 'Team Natsu'?" Gray asked incredulously.

"Fat chance of that," Gajeel grunted. "I already eat enough with you at family dinners."

"You guys are family?" Lisanna asked, and for once, Lucy was grateful that she wasn't the only one locked out of the loop. Even Gray was raising an eyebrow like he didn't know this piece of information, and he seemed to have known Natsu the longest.

"We're cousins," the boys answered simultaneously.

"That's one heck of a manly family," Elfman commented.

"We ain't related by blood, though," Gajeel made sure to point out. "My aunt married his dad when we were like seven or something. That's why we've become one big family."

"Stop changing the subject!" Natsu snapped. "Lunch. Tomorrow."

"Why?" Gray asked brusquely. Lucy sighed, just knowing that they were about to get into another fight.

"It's entertaining, though, isn't it?" Lisanna asked, practically reading her mind. "Usually Erza or my big sis Mira can keep them in line, but they're not here since they're older and in the school's top band."

"Your family must love music," Lucy commented.

"Yeah, although Mira has done some kids' clothing modeling during the summer." Lucy and Lisanna's talk was cut off by Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel crashing into the music stand in front of them while pulling on each other's ears. "Obviously, this is going to get us nowhere, and it looks like Juvia already decided to leave."

True to the girl's words, Juvia had long since disappeared, obviously not caring about meeting up for lunch. In fact, they seemed to be the only group still hanging about. Lucy was starting to think that she should leave, herself, especially since her father was coming home today. She was quickly incentivized by Warren, who had slung his arms around both Lucy and Lisanna. "You girls wanna trade numbers? We are in a group, after all."

"Hands off my sister, Warren!" Warren backed off while Elfman practically pounced on him.

"I should go stop him. See you in English tomorrow, Lucy!" Lucy smiled and said her goodbyes while Lisanna tried very unsuccessfully to pull her brother off of a cowering Warren. The blonde almost laughed, but instead picked up her bag and left the continually brawling boys. Their whole group was full of nuts.

Yet even amongst their nuttiness, Lucy could see how close some of them were. All it had taken was that brief quarter of an hour for her to see the dynamic at play within the group. Naturally, Natsu and Gray were most assuredly the best of friends; if they weren't, they wouldn't want to speak with each other, much less fight with each other. Gajeel was more antagonistic, and still an utter enigma. Then there were the Strauss siblings who must have known Natsu and Gray since childhood. Elfman looked like the kind of guy who was ready throw down with the others but held himself back on account of his sister. Then Lisanna was a sweet girl who talked about Natsu with an utterly strange fondness. Warren was a simple pervert, but Juvia remained as much of a mystery as Gajeel. Suffice it to say that she was new to the group as well.

"Hey! Luce!" Lucy turned only a fraction at the sound of someone calling a butchered version of her name and ran right into Natsu's one armed hug.

"You do realize my name is Lucy, right?" she asked of him. Natsu grinned at her, almost like they were friends.

"Luce is shorter and easier to say, but if you really want, I'll just call you Lucy," he agreed with a mini pout. Lucy sighed rather audibly.

"What do you want, Natsu?"

"Help me bring everyone to lunch." Lucy blinked at such a simple request, although the term "simple" was relative.

"Should I bother asking why?"

"Because we're friends! And friends help each other out, right?"

"Since when are we friends?" Lucy asked in amusement, wondering just when they had made that leap.

"Since the day we met, silly. So what do you say? Help me! Help me! _Please_!" He almost looked like an adorable little puppy when he did that and Lucy very quickly decided she had no choice but to give in.

"Fine…I'll help you."

"All right! I'm all fired up now! You're the best, Lucy!" With that he gave Lucy a very tight hug before he began to run off. "Don't forget! See ya in English tomorrow!"

He had already turned the corner when Lucy finally came to realize two things: that Natsu had remembered her name, despite not caring when they met, and that even though he slept through the class, he still noticed that Lucy was in English with him. Lucy chuckled to herself.

 _Yes_ , she thought, _with Natsu Dragneel, this year will be very interesting._

* * *

 **Author's Note: Here's the second chapter. Some progression, but not too much. This story is so different for me because the central antagonist isn't a person like Minerva in the first story but the developing relationship between Natsu and Lucy. At this point, they're hardly even friends, though, ha ha…Anyway, last time I said this story would move quickly, and next chapter it will take off. The first two chapters were only two weeks, but next chapter we'll start off in winter. I hope I pull it off right. Thanks to those who reviewed, favorited and followed. Sorry if I didn't respond, but my response time is limited at the moment, but should improve soon. Well, until next time, please do Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	3. Chapter 3

**As promised, we begin to move faster in this chapter. I hope you'll continue to enjoy Natsu and Lucy's adventure, further shown in Chapter 3, starting now!**

* * *

Chapter 3

 _Winter, Sixth Grade_

"No! No! No!"

"Then what do you suggest, Fire Breath?"

"Anything but that!" Natsu countered. As usual, his face was angrily up against Gray's. "We're a group. We don't do things in pairs!"

"Lisanna, how've you been lately?" Lucy asked, trying to ignore the boys arguing in the middle of the living room floor. Even the white-haired girl was beginning to sigh in annoyance at their antics.

"I've been good. How about you, Juvia?" Lisanna said sweetly, putting the question to the sole remaining female member of their group. Juvia blinked, ever still surprised that people actually wanted to talk to her. For Lucy, it was hard to see why: ever since they'd formed their group three months ago, every member of the group had gotten some moment in the spotlight, and that included Juvia herself. Now, with only a couple days until their first concert and a little over a week until Christmas, they had all met at the Fullbuster residence, finally deciding to try something new.

The change of scenery hardly effected a change in attitude.

"Juvia is cold," Juvia responded to Lisanna's query. Lucy couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped her lips. In the corner of the room, Gajeel was blasting away on his saxophone and muttering under his breath while Warren seemed to be on his phone with another boy named Max. Elfman was using the bathroom. All in all, nothing had changed.

"I don't think Lisanna was asking about how you feel physically," Lucy said to the somewhat gloomy girl.

"O-oh…well, Juvia is…happy…" Juvia had whispered that last part, but the two girls heard it and they smiled.

"What're you guys doing for Christmas?" Lisanna asked with that grin still stretching her face. "Elf, Mira and I are going to Caracole Island for vacation."

"My dad has a business meeting or party…I don't know," Lucy told her in response. "All I know is that I'm expected to stand there and look pretty."

"Juvia isn't doing anything," Juvia said sadly. "Juvia's family is not very festive for holidays."

"Why don't you come over to my place, then?" Lucy suggested. "I could use a friend. Papa's parties can be very lonely. Which, speaking of Christmas, have you guys bought your gifts for that Secret Santa exchange of ours?"

"I bought mine just yesterday," Lisanna informed the two of them, right before a loud crash indicated Natsu and Gray tumbling to the floor. Seconds after that, the door to the Fullbuster living room swung wide open.

"Gray! Natsu! Cut it out!" yelled Gray's father. "No fighting just before Christmas, or I'll have you clean this entire place up. Get back to practicing for your concert. We're all going to be there and we want to see you do well." The door snapped closed a few seconds later while Natsu and Gray separated.

Lucy sighed in partial exasperation before standing and smacking both boys over the head with her music folder. "Stop acting like idiots. We have less than a week until this concert."

"Tell that to this idiotic Flame Brain."

"What did you say to me, Snowflake?"

"I said shut up!" Lucy seethed, determinedly smacking them over the head again. "Sit down and start acting at least slightly older than the five-year olds you are!"

"Yes, ma'am…" Natsu said with a small puppy dog impression that didn't work on Lucy whatsoever. She had grown far too used to Natsu and his antics over the last few months. His constant attempts to gather the group at lunch had done most of the work for her. Even after all this time, they'd yet to get anyone other than Lisanna and Gray to join them. It was more than a little ridiculous, Lucy realized, when they'd reached attempt number one hundred just last week. Natsu kept insisting it would happen; Lucy just rolled her eyes and would return to whatever conversation she would be having with Levy at the time.

"Man…sometimes she can be even scarier than Erza," Gray mumbled to the pinkette.

"Nah, 'cause Erza's not even human."

"You both realize I can hear you and am well within striking distance," Lucy warned the two boys. They both shut their mouths after that, and since their argument had dropped, the group returned to practice until Gajeel's father had arrived to pick him up. One by one, the group departed until only Lucy was left waiting on the Fullbuster front porch for Capricorn to pick her up. Gray slipped her some hot chocolate while she was waiting in the cold.

"I don't actually hate Natsu, you know," he told her, leaning against his front door with his shirt off. "Fighting is what we know, but we believe in each other. He _is_ my best friend."

"I don't really care, but you could at least try to tone it down around others," Lucy told him, swirling the hot chocolate around in her mug. Thinking on it, Lucy raised her head to Gray with a question on her lips. "What do you think Natsu would want for Christmas?"

"Get him anything with dragons. He loves that stuff." Gray didn't expound any further when Capricorn arrived. Lucy said her farewells and skipped over to the car, careful not to slip on the ice. She continued thinking on Gray's advice. By chance, she had snagged Natsu's name as her Secret Santa, but finding something the hyperactive boy would genuinely appreciate was difficult to do, especially after he'd made her feel so welcome. Lucy continued to ruminate on the issue until she'd gotten home.

Lucy immediately stepped over to the music room to deposit her things when the sudden, brilliant idea hit her. She grabbed a box that she'd been using as a stepstool and placed it near the towering collection of albums that her mother had owned. Searching along, Lucy finally pulled out an older CD. She blew some dust off the cover and looked down at it. It was an old CD from a concert that her mother had attended long ago, named "Peter and the Dragon". Supposedly, it was a parody off an old concert and movie, but it evoked more than either of those two. It evoked the majestic feeling of dragons. Since the CD seemed to still be in good condition, Lucy felt there would be no harm in giving it to Natsu as a gift. Her mind set, Lucy returned to her room in order to wrap it up nicely.

By the time the concert arrived before break, Lucy's gift was safely carried along with her flute case.

The Winter Festival Concert was held at night on the very day before break started. Lucy would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't nervous at all. This would be the first time they'd be performing in front of numerous people, not to mention that they'd be followed up by the three Seventh and Eighth Grade bands. That, in and of itself, was enough to make anybody nervous. Most of the band seemed to be taking it in stride, considering they were all as rambunctious as ever. Natsu and Gray were practically having a mini-party while others were panicking. Lucy, bedecked in her concert dress, plopped herself next to Levy, who was obviously reading a book.

"Ready for tonight, Lu-chan?" Levy asked softly, putting her book down. Lucy nodded, taking care to bring her flute out of its case gently. "Any family coming?"

"No, just some of my house staff," Lucy answered tiredly. She knew her father wouldn't come, always too busy with one of his meetings or that damn Christmas "party". It was such a far cry from the rest of her group's families. Lisanna and Elfman were extremely tight as siblings, and considering the lack of them in the room, Lucy could guess they were visiting their older sister. Then there was Gray, whose adoptive brother Lyon had stopped in from boarding school to pester Gray. Gray's dad had explained the fact of wanting to keep them separate for the time being because they fought more than Natsu and Gray. The rest of the extended Fullbuster family was right behind him and as Lucy watched the woman she assumed to be Gray's aunt, she finally understood where all the stripping came from.

"Natsu!" Levy looked up with Lucy at the sound of the young girl's voice calling their friend's name. All they saw was what seemed to be a blue-haired blur run up and hug Natsu around the midsection. From Lucy's information, she could only guess that this was Wendy, the little sister than Natsu (and a begrudging Gajeel) had talked about so much. Natsu softly hugged the girl that seemed to be around nine-years old, even if Lucy hadn't seen her face. Then he moved off with her and Gajeel to what looked like their family at the entrance to the band room.

"Lucy," said a sudden voice, combined with a tap on her shoulder. Lucy jumped and turned to see Juvia; she hadn't even noticed that the girl was there. "Juvia was wondering if your invitation for Christmas was still open?"

"Oh, sure," Lucy said with a brief blink of surprise. She reached down to her music folder and pulled out a blank sheet, hastily scrawling her address and phone number on it, then handing it to Juvia. "Party starts at five, but I don't care if you're late. Just wear something formal."

"Thank you," Juvia said with a nod and what almost looked like a smile. Then, Lucy heard clapping and turned to face Yajima, who was approaching the podium. Juvia slipped away to her chair.

"Let's start tuning, kiddos," Yajima said, effectively calling everyone to order. They all did as he said, managing to sound quite good as their teacher took them through the opening bars of each song. When they were done, Yajima looked at his watch and seemed to decide that it was time, ushering them into a line to be led out of the band room. Lucy felt her nerves increase slightly but managed to relax when she took her seat.

The Winter Festival Concert began. Funnily enough, Lucy found that she actually wasn't nervous at all once they began playing. Each note flowed seamlessly into the next and the applause that followed the entirety of their portion of the concert felt rejuvenating to Lucy. Once the curtain closed for them, Lucy leaned over and hugged Levy who reciprocated quickly as they made their way back to the band room. The whole entire band was filled with chatter; each one evidently proud of the work they had done.

"You all did great out there!" Yajima expressed happily. "When we return from break we'll start working on the spring concert right away, but enjoy your break and the other bands in the meantime. Merry Christmas to all of you!"

"Merry Christmas, Lu-chan!" Levy said, giving her friend another hug.

"Hey, Bunny Girl," grunted Gajeel from across the band room. Lucy aimed in his direction and watched him approach her. When he reached them, he thrust a package right into her chest. "Merry Christmas. You too, Shrimp."

"It's Levy!" the bluenette whined. Gajeel just smirked and patted her on the head. "Talk about abrasive. Are you seriously in a group with him?"

"He's not that bad…once you get past the name-calling and general demeanor," Lucy admitted. She looked down at the gift in her hands, noticing it was sloppily wrapped in paper that had bunnies on it. She shook her head in amusement; you wear one hoodie that looked like bunny ears and you get a stupid nickname. Lucy tore her gaze away and watched as Lisanna approached Gajeel to hand him her gift before she was subsequently approached by Warren. Over in a corner, she noticed Elfman walking back towards his sisters with a nicely wrapped gift. He seemed to have been leaving Gray and Juvia and since Gray was handing his gift off to Juvia, Lucy could guess where Elfman had gotten his.

"Hey, Warren!" Natsu yelled across the band room. Warren turned just in time to catch Natsu's unwrapped gift. "Merry Christmas!"

"Thanks, Natsu! I was looking for this exact phone cover!" Warren shouted right back. Lucy was a little taken aback. She'd no idea that Warren was into that stuff, or that Natsu even had the capacity to pick out a perfect gift. Which reminded Lucy of the gift she needed to give. Uttering a hasty farewell to Levy, Lucy grabbed her stuff and dashed off after Natsu. She managed to catch him in the hallway where his family seemed to be approaching.

"Hold up, Natsu!" Lucy practically screamed. He actually did so, allowing Lucy to race up to him and catch her breath. "Here. I got you for Secret Santa." She held the beautifully wrapped CD and waited for the pinkette to take it, which he did.

"Thanks, Lucy, that means a lot. Have a Merry Christmas," Natsu said with his usual grin. Lucy grinned back, feeling her cheeks heat up a little. She turned away then and started walking towards the auditorium to watch the rest of the concert.

"Who was that?"

"A friend. Look at this awesome gift she gave me, Wendy!" Lucy heard Natsu say when she rounded the corner. A slight giggle escaped her lips and she finished her journey to joining Capricorn and Virgo in the audience to watch the rest of the concert. Lucy enjoyed every second of it, especially the solos that the top band performed during their segments. Lucy could see how Lisanna thought her sister, Mirajane, was amazing. When the concert finished, Lucy left with her two companions all the way home, euphoria filling her while she placed Gajeel's gift on her desk. Maybe, just maybe, this year would be the best Christmas ever.

* * *

"You look lovely, Lucy," her father complimented her just half an hour before the party.

"I feel like a porcelain doll, papa," Lucy admitted honestly. She was astonished at how brash she was but figured that was just her friends rubbing off on her. Jude laughed gaily and patted his daughter on the shoulder. Lucy frowned; she'd looked at herself in the mirror earlier and found that the red dress and accompanying sweater didn't suit her. Sure, it was just for a couple hours, but they would probably be the most uncomfortable hours of her life.

Lucy, however, knew better than to make a fit about such things and simply stood idly by, humming holiday music as the guests began to arrive. Most of her father's business associates commented on how lovely Lucy had become. The blonde returned said compliments with equally meaningless compliments. That's what she was there for, anyway…at least until the youngest son of Junelle Enterprises approached her and started flirting with her using some laughably lame stories. She'd much rather have listened to one of Natsu's insane lunch plans. Gratefully, that was the moment she caught sight of Juvia.

"Juvia! You came after all!" Lucy said loudly, shocking the boy and affording the opportunity for Lucy to be rid of him.

"Juvia hopes she is not imposing," the bluenette muttered shyly.

"Not at all," Lucy insisted upon reaching her friend's side. Juvia was dressed nicely, but Lucy noticed something different: a fur-trimmed hat was sitting atop her head. "When did you get that?"

"Oh…Juvia got it as a gift…from Gray-sama," she whispered, like she didn't want Lucy to hear.

"Gray- _sama_?" Lucy said with a giggle. Juvia fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment and Lucy took the girl into a hug. Juvia obviously didn't realize she had a crush on their dark-haired stripper friend yet. "All right, well, thanks for coming. It gets lonely when it's just me."

Juvia warmed up considerably after that. She and Lucy spent the evening snacking on the various delicacies from the kitchen and chatting about the first half of their school year. At one point, Lucy had shown Juvia to the music room. If the manor in and of itself hadn't blown the bluenette away, then this room most certainly did. While they were in there, her father had poked his head in. Lucy expected him to snap at her, but instead he politely introduced himself to Juvia and went on his merry way. Finally, after many hours, the party concluded and Lucy was seeing Juvia off at the door.

"Juvia feels bad about not giving a present," she admitted.

"Don't be. It's not like I really got you a present," Lucy said in embarrassment.

"Well…at least Juvia got a present from Gray-sama."

"You really like him, don't you?" Lucy asked sweetly. Juvia cast her gaze downward and seemed to blush a little.

"Gray-sama made Juvia feel like a person," she mumbled into her jacket. "Not that Lucy doesn't make Juvia feel like a person, it's just…Gray-sama…"

"I get it. Gray is a pretty cool guy, so don't give up on him," Lucy said. With one final hug between the two girls, Juvia left and Lucy returned upstairs to change out of those awful clothes. Once she had, she noticed Gajeel's gift was still unopened, so she undid the wrappings right away. Into her hands fell a small packet that appeared to contain little screwdrivers and other metal and plastic utensils. Lucy didn't need a closer inspection to know that it was an instrument maintenance kit. The gift was really quite thoughtful, considering the source. Lucy packed it away and went downstairs to join the house staff for hot chocolate and cookies.

As she stared at the fireplace that night with a plateful of cookies, she wondered if Natsu had enjoyed the gift she'd given him.

* * *

 _Spring, Sixth Grade_

"It's huge!"

"Oh…uh…"

Lucy rolled her eyes at the reactions of both Natsu and Gray as they stood in the foyer of her mansion. While the others seemed to have gotten over it (indeed since Levy, who had tagged along, was already in the library), Natsu and Gray appeared to have shut down. Evidently, they hadn't made the connection between her being a Heartfilia and being unbearably, filthy rich.

"Where's Commander Erza to give orders when you need her to?" Natsu asked.

"I think Commander Erza would shut down too," Gray responded, his trumpet case hanging limply at his side. Lucy, finally tired of their prolonged reaction, placed her hands on their backs and started pushing them toward the music room. "You got a sweet place, Lucy."

"Thank you, Gray," Lucy quipped sardonically, though he missed it. He and Natsu did start walking faster, to Lucy's elation. Once they had reached the music room, the group could finally get down to practicing the pieces for their spring concert, only stopping when Virgo popped in to serve them all lunch.

"Lu-chan, why didn't you share your library with me earlier?" Levy asked as they bit into their sandwiches. Natsu had already finished his.

"It's just a bunch of books. Who cares?" Gajeel expressed, picking at his teeth. Levy whipped a glare to him. "You know, that'd be a lot scarier if you weren't so tiny, Shrimp."

"And your face would be a lot less ugly if you weren't such a jerk." Lucy raised an eyebrow at the two quarreling with each other, but turned back to the funnier pairing of Gray and Juvia. Ever since Juvia had discovered her crush on the boy, she had tried numerous attempts of getting close to him. It was almost as pointless as Natsu's lunch attempts, which he had all but given up on.

"So, are you guys excited for the guest speaker that's coming tomorrow?" Lisanna asked. "It's not often that we get someone from the Magnolia High Music Program to come and talk to us."

"That program is so super manly," Elfman said, tearing into his sandwich. "I want to make it in one day, like a real man should!"

"Who's coming to speak again?" Gray asked, ignoring Elfman's comment.

"It's bound to be Gramps, right?" Natsu asked lazily, like he hardly cared for the conversation, instead staring at some random dark spot on the wood of the bookcases.

"Gramps?" Lucy questioned, and she wasn't the only one.

"That's just what we call him," Levy said, pulling herself out of her argument with Gajeel. "Director Makarov Dreyar of the Magnolia High Music Program. A bunch of us have known him since we were kids, because his grandson Laxus attended the same school."

"He still does," Natsu spat out bitterly. Lucy was a little concerned to hear Natsu speak of anyone in that tone of voice. Usually, he was so upbeat and spoke about everybody like they were a friend. So, hearing Natsu talk about this "Laxus" in this way was just a little distressing. "Laxus…stupid first chair drummer…Well, I'll show him one day! Thinks he's royalty just because of who his grandfather is."

"Why does Natsu hate Laxus?" Juvia asked. Gray sighed at the question.

"Natsu and Laxus don't exactly respect each other, ever since Laxus beat Natsu up on the playground once."

"That was four years ago, Gray!"

"It was six, idiot, and you're gonna have to deal with him soon. Auditions for next year are coming up and you know our entire group is likely going to make it into the top band with Laxus, Erza, and them," Gray said. Lucy had almost completely forgotten about auditions, but this time the prospect of them didn't frighten her, or anyone in the room. Maybe it was because they all realized how much they supported each other, but none of them could even imagine that the prospect of screwing up at auditions was possible.

"Four, six…I don't care! I will beat Laxus and I know how!"

"Oh, this should be good," Gajeel snickered out, but he was looking at Natsu in anticipation anyway, just like everyone else.

"The Solo and Ensemble Contest!" Natsu proclaimed. Lucy blinked her eyes, unsure of exactly what he was trying to say to them. The others appeared to think the same way because Natsu's shoulders drooped in apparent disappointment. "Look, we're all a pretty great group and I think we've got a shot at taking first place in the contest if we all work together."

"Yep. Sounds stupid," Gajeel concluded.

"Your face is stupid!"

"Look, it's not the worst idea, Natsu," Gray said in surprising agreement with Natsu, "but do you realize the kind of competition we'd be up against? The Contest is no walk in the park. Just signing up doesn't automatically mean victory."

"I know that," countered Natsu. "That's why I'm saying we should take our time."

"Whoa…did Natsu actually just suggest being patient?" Warren said in shock. Lucy couldn't exactly disagree with the reaction.

"Yes, I did," Natsu stated smugly, as if he were actually proud that he'd thought of it. "Hey, I get it. Right now, we're no match for some of those super-skilled musicians out there, but if we take our time to come up with a really great piece and practice it, then I think our entire group could come out on top."

"For us to do that," Lisanna mused, a finger tapping against her chin, "we'd have to play something really remarkable."

"Forget remarkable. It would probably have to be something original," Gray amended. "The judges have probably heard everything from Beethoven to Mr. Yajima's own compositions. If you _really_ want to take first place, we need something fresh and new that they haven't heard before but that we can actually master."

"Something manly, I hope!" Elfman threw in. They ignored him.

"Gaji's good at composing things," Juvia said. Everyone around her stared at her a moment, not quite sure as to who "Gaji" was until the truth dawned on them.

" _Gaji_?" Levy snorted out with a humorous look in Gajeel's direction.

"Shut it, Shrimp!"

"Would you do it?" Lucy asked suddenly. Gajeel stopped himself from starting another argument with Levy to look at Lucy. "Would you compose a piece for us to play in the contest?"

"Sure," he answered nonchalantly. "Only if Salamander helps out; he's not a half-bad composer, himself."

"Wait, are we really doing this?" Gray asked, drawing all eyes on him.

"I don't see why not," Lucy said, believing that she was answering for the group.

"See? Lucy knows what I'm talking about!" Natsu said, holding up a hand. Lucy decided there was no harm in giving him a high-five. "We've got two years to compose and perfect an awesome piece of music. Metal Head and I will do the composing."

"I can handle the registration process," Lucy volunteered.

"I'll help with that, too," Lisanna piped in. Gray sighed.

"I'll take care of scheduling with Juvia so that we can maximize our time," Gray said with a scratch of his head. That left Warren and Elfman to make the communication within the group easier.

"All right, then!" Natsu cheered. "By the end of eighth grade, we're gonna be number one at the Solo and Ensemble Contest!"

"Yeah!"

That very decision was like a fire that exploded and pushed them all forward. They didn't talk on it anymore that session, preferring to focus on the spring concert music, but it was certainly at the back of all their minds. Lucy, in particular, felt emboldened. He'd never really contemplated participating in a contest, rather alone or in a group, but Natsu's confidence was absolutely infectious. There was something about him that made her believe anything was possible. There was no proof to back up his claims, but none of that mattered; Lucy wanted to support the endlessly burning ball of energy.

She still felt that way upon English class on Monday where Natsu was just as asleep as usual. Lisanna hadn't gotten there, so Lucy sat in her seat and looked over at Natsu with a little bit of softness. Up close, when he wasn't flailing his arms or opening his mouth, Natsu was actually kind of cute. Lucy could kind of see why Lisanna held a slight affection for him, except for the fact that Natsu would start talking and ruin that image. Smiling to herself, Lucy turned back around and prepared herself for her lessons. Lunch arrived soon after and Lucy found herself being regaled by Levy with stories of their guest speaker.

"Mr. Makarov…well, Mr. Dreyar," Levy informed her, "he's a big advocate for Music for Youths. Rumor has it that his mother and father were heavily involved in the creation of the Magnolia High Music Program, and is the reason Magnolia's on the map in the first place."

"Is the Music Program really that big?" Lucy asked, picking at the meat loaf in her lunch. Levy was ready to answer but stopped when Natsu seemed to plop himself right next to Lucy.

"Of course it is," he said, with a touch of defiance. "Anyone who's anyone in the music world of Fiore wants to get into that program for high school. Kids come from tons of school districts in the area just to get in."

"Sounds a little excessive, but how do you all know so much about it?"

"Gramps," Natsu answered. Lucy noticed his hand inching towards her meatloaf and she slapped it away. "He's a regular at Macao's Bar, which is also where a lot of our parents used to hang out. He was also key to getting Ice Block into music. Since I've known him, he's been talking about the program. You'll see at today's lecture. Are you going to eat that?"

"Yes. Now, hands off!" Lucy responded, shoving Natsu away. He resorted to sulking a few seats away and his ridiculous antics made Lucy forget to ask why he'd sat with them in the first place. It had become such a common recurrence since he'd thanked her for the Christmas gift that she didn't care much anyway. All she had on her mind after that was seeing this "Makarov".

She didn't expect him to be so…short…and balding. He almost looked comical, but the respect that shimmered in Levy's eyes prevented Lucy from even letting a giggle escape. As it turned out, Makarov was good friends with Mr. Yajima and had agreed to talk to their band and share some wisdom on marching band and the memorization of music. Any complaints about Makarov's size or hair growth left her mind the second he started to share his information. Lucy was enraptured and would have taken notes if Levy weren't already doing so. The one thing she did take away all boiled down to a single word: "instinct". Marching and memorization boiled down to an instinct. Even though you had to keep your mind on both at once, they would eventually blend into one and simply become instinctual.

"Do any of you have any questions?" Makarov asked when his lecture was complete.

"I got one, Gramps!" Natsu yelled from the back of the room.

"Of course you do, Natsu. Ask away," Makarov responded tiredly. Lucy got the feeling that he was used to Natsu and his impulsivity.

"What's the audition process for entering the Magnolia High Music Program?" Natsu asked, causing a few others to now murmur in interest themselves.

"Isn't it a little early for you to ask me that, brat?" Makarov replied with a pointed glare in Natsu's direction. When the pinkette refused to relent, he finally sighed. "Fine. The Magnolia High Music Program has three stages of acceptance, the final of which isn't completed until mid-summer. First, you'll do a standard audition like you do for chair placement every year. The next phase is completed at the end of the year when you will demonstrate marching capability and your ability to work in a group. These are essential; without them, I can't allow you into the program. Finally, in mid-summer, you will play a piece of either my or your composition from memory. After all this, we will determine your placement in the program, or if you even get in at all."

"Is there any way to skip all that?"

"Why would I allow that, you impetuous little brat?" Lucy so desperately wanted to facepalm at this point.

"Say that me and a bunch of others kick major butt at the ensemble competition, what would you do then?"

"Natsu, if you and your group can snag the top spot at the ensemble against the steep competition there, I'll let all of you into the program immediately, no questions asked."

"Sweet! Number one in Fiore, here we come!"

Lucy looked over at Levy, who appeared amused at the notion. The blonde had no idea just how much getting into that program meant to Natsu, but the prospect of getting in suddenly became exciting for her, too. It was like they were all moving towards a tangible goal, now. There was a reward other than their own gratification. Natsu's semi-deal with Makarov must have spurred on the others as well, because at their next practice session, Natsu and Gajeel were huddling in a corner, working on the composition, while the others tried to get themselves perfectly in tune. Gray had even stopped pointlessly arguing with Natsu.

The end result for sixth grade was that each of them had built up a ridiculous store of confidence by the time the auditions for seventh grade rolled around. Even Levy, who wasn't strictly a part of their group, was emboldened by all of them. This audition period was a sharp contrast to the one at the beginning of the year. Lucy walked in confidently and played her pieces without a distressing thought. She'd yet to use the piece that her mother had left incomplete, but Lucy wasn't concerned. Eventually, she'd find the time to finish it.

A few days before sixth grade was to reach its conclusion, the results of the auditions were posted. The crowds this time were even bigger than last time, owing to the combined grades. As Lucy and Levy weaved through the mass of writhing people, she saw a spot where most people were keeping a wide berth. When they approached and caught sight of the flowing red hair, Lucy could see why: Erza had trapped Natsu and Gray in what could only be described as a headlock, but she was evidently calling a hug.

"I'm so proud of you two!" she cheered, looking slightly teary. "Second chairs in the top band. We must celebrate!"

"We can…" Gray wheezed out.

Natsu finished for him, "…when you stop choking us, Erza."

Lucy shook her head with a laugh on her lips and joined Levy in taking a look at the lists. This time there were three separate bands that the students could get into, though only two counted for seventh grade: an upper level and lower level. Supposedly, the upper level had top access to all the contests and participated in more events. They were also a combination of seventh and eighth grades. None of it really meant anything in the long run, since Levy had explained that people in the lower level (who only participated in concerts) had no problem getting into the Magnolia High Music Program. Still, the opportunities were enough of a perk and Lucy had a feeling that Natsu was counting on all of them getting in.

"Here we are!" Levy emphatically pointed out. Lucy followed her friend's finger to their placement in the upper level band. Their positions hadn't changed in respect to one another, but both Lucy and Levy had moved down a slot to accommodate Mirajane Strauss at the top spot. Lucy exhaled in relief, just before she felt herself get grabbed (and watched the same happen to Levy) and slammed against Erza's chest along with Natsu and Gray. Natsu's face squeezed up against Lucy's cheek as all four struggled to get free.

"You're all so precious! I'm so glad we'll all be in the same band together!"

"Erza…" Levy gasped out. "You're killing us!"

Soon after, sixth grade came to its end.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I said that time would move faster here, didn't I? Anyway, while there are multiple relationships to build up to Musical Chairs, the focus is always meant to be on Natsu and Lucy over the years. That said, they're only in sixth grade and given Lucy's status as a celibate heroine in series, that relationship won't even be recognized as moving beyond friendship for some time. I still hope you'll enjoy it. And if you're looking for the story of how the Magnolia High Music Program was formed and became what it was, check out Musical Measures, my simultaneously published prequel featuring Mavis and Zeref. I hope you leave reviews on both of them! Anyway, that's it for this chapter, so please do Review to leave me your thoughts and Dare to Be Silly.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Some summer fun for the middle of winter. Please enjoy Chapter 4!**

* * *

Chapter 4

 _Summer, Seventh Grade_

July, Lucy decided, sucked. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy summer and the time off it gave her. Even the heat wave that usually swept across Fiore in the summer was bearable. No, Lucy couldn't stand summer because of how utterly lonely it made her feel, of which the feeling was no keener than today. The first day of that seventh accursed month. Lucy's birthday.

It was true that Lucy had made numerous friends over the last year, but other than Levy, she'd hardly kept in contact with any of them. Of course, her bluenette friend had been on vacation the last couple of weeks, so contact was limited to a single postcard and a couple e-mails, mostly of the large bag of books she'd brought with her. Other than that, the group had fallen away and Lucy couldn't help but wonder if they'd even come together when the school year started up again. Natsu and Gray had practically gone radio silent over the holidays; Lisanna had sent a total of one e-mail (which meant none from Elfman either); Gajeel was so anti-social to begin with that she didn't expect much, and Juvia had apparently taken up being a lifeguard at a kiddie pool, which gave her very little time. As for Warren…Lucy wasn't letting him near her contact information with a ten-foot pole.

So it went that Lucy stared at her pale pink ceiling on the morning of her birthday with a predictably massive sigh on her lips. Her father had gone away on _another_ business trip the day prior. He had wished her a pre-emptive happy birthday, but it didn't stop him from not being there for it. When she'd finally found the energy to actually get up and attempt to celebrate the day, she heard a chime from her computer. Unsurprisingly, it was reminding her that today was, in fact, her birthday.

"Yeah, like I need a stupid computer to remind me of that," Lucy scoffed before another chime informed her of some e-mails. Most of them were basic e-mails from some sites she'd subscribed to, wishing her a happy birthday. Lucy yawned through each and every one of them until she saw that she'd gotten an e-mail from Levy. Wondering what it could be about, since Lucy hadn't exactly told anyone about her birthday, she clicked on it.

 _Hey, Lu-chan!_

 _How come you didn't tell me your birthday was tomorrow? I just got back in town and called but you didn't pick up. Mr. Crux told me everything, though. I feel left out of the loop!_

The rest of the e-mail rambled on in the same fashion, causing Lucy to giggle. As response, Lucy wrote a rather simple apology and decided that was it. She closed her computer and got dressed in a simple, yet flattering, sundress and left her room.

"Happy Birthday, Princess!" Virgo greeted her in the dining room. Arrayed on the table was a rather extravagant spread of breakfast that contained Lucy's favorite breakfast items. "I've made my specialties: Punishment Pancakes, Execution Eggs, Smothering Sausages, Blistering Bacon, and my best Overkill Orange Juice yet."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Virgo, but those names are more than disturbing," Lucy admitted. Virgo's eyes continued to shine brightly. Lucy sighed and dug into her birthday breakfast. Despite Virgo's rather macabre names for the dishes, the meal was delicious and Lucy felt it was a rather nice start to a passable birthday.

As further expected, the entire house staff busted out their presents after the meal which spanned from an actual nice bikini from Aquarius to a book of musical theory and a positive avalanche of other clothing. It looked like she was going to be giving away more clothes again. Thanking all of them, Lucy decided to get some fresh air and try out the new swimsuit in the manor's pool. Dipping her toes in the cool water, Lucy closed her eyes and relished the sun on her skin. She pretty quickly decided to go for a swim that culminated in being joined by Virgo and an amused Capricorn before Aquarius doused their fun with a call too lunch. Lucy dried off and headed inside to change.

The doorbell suddenly rang when she was making her way from the stairs to the dining hall. Considering how light the house staff was today and that a majority of them were in the kitchen, Lucy decided it was up to her to answer whoever it was that was consistently and annoyingly ringing the doorbell.

"Can I help-?"

"Surprise, Lu-chan! Happy birthday!" Lucy stumbled back, tripping over the front hall carpet and landing flat on her butt on the marble floor, her mouth agape at the sight before her. Framed in the double doors was Levy, carrying a duffel bag and a gift wrapped in decent wrapping paper. Behind her were Juvia and Lisanna, each waving energetically at the blonde. Even further behind them were two older girls, both of whom Lucy knew by sight but would have never expected to see on her front stoop.

"What…what are you all doing here?" Lucy said once her brain stopped bouncing around her skull. Levy stepped inside the house and offered a hand to Lucy, helping her up with a wide smile.

"Celebrating your birthday, of course!" Levy answered. "We couldn't let you celebrate it on your own, so I called up the girls and we decided we'd throw you a birthday bash."

"Really?" Lucy asked. She'd never had friends that actually wanted to throw her a birthday party…unless they just wanted to get to her house for some introductions with her father. Those kinds never made a return visit.

"It's your birthday, silly," Lisanna said, like it was all so simple. "We're your friends, Lucy. Of course we want to celebrate your birthday with you."

"Juvia thinks Lucy should be happy. Juvia is happy she doesn't have to deal with little hellions today." Lucy laughed at Juvia's obvious displeasure at having to play lifeguard.

"Come on, girls, we don't want to keep Lucy's door open all day, do we?" said one of the older girls behind Lucy's fellow former sixth grade trio. Lucy nearly had a heart attack despite her ridiculously young age.

"You're…you're…" The girl smiled sweetly as she waited for Lucy to get the words out. "You're Mirajane!"

"Just Mira is fine," she said in response. "It's nice to meet you, Lucy. Lisanna's said a lot of nice things about you and I'm looking forward to having you as my third chair."

"Oh my gosh, Lisanna, your sister's amazing!" Lucy squeaked. She didn't even care if she was heard by the object of the conversation, mostly because her statement was far from subjective. Mirajane, up close and personal, was even better than when Lucy had seen her perform in the winter concert. She wore a sweet smile that highlighted the blue eyes she shared with Lisanna, and her white hair flowed quite nicely, framing her pretty face. She was also, er, well-developed for an eighth grader, which was no surprise given that she was also a model. Judging from the cake she was holding, she was also a baker. Was there anything this girl couldn't do?

"I know, right? If only Big Brother Elf were the same," Lisanna chuckled out sardonically.

"What is Elfman doing anyway?" Juvia inquired.

"Some sort of 'manly practicing' or something like that. I have no idea…"

"It's wonderful that you're all catching up, but perhaps we should go inside?" Lucy finally noticed that Erza happened to be the one admonishing them. That wasn't all too surprising to her. What was surprising, was the ridiculous amount of luggage behind her.

"Uh…Erza…what's with all the luggage?" she asked, though she was quite fearful of doing so.

"I thought we were having a sleepover. Did I over pack?" Over pack may have been an understatement, considering that it looked like she had brought her whole closet. _Although, this is the same girl that grew up with Natsu and Gray, so why am I surprised?_

"Anyway, come in," Lucy insisted, finally standing aside to allow the girls inside her house. Levy, Lisanna, and Juvia had no problem stepping in. Mira took a brief pause to admire the architecture, but Lucy figured she must have seen plenty of fancy things in her modeling career. Erza, on the other hand, dropped her luggage handle and simply stared blankly ahead.

"Such a lovely place…" she said as if she were in a trance. Gray had been right: apparently Commander Erza broke down at the sight of the mansion's interior.

"So, I wasn't expecting you guys," Lucy admitted. "Did you have things planned?"

"I brought board games!" Levy cheered.

"I brought movies…well, me and Mira did."

"Juvia brought Twister." The myriad of activities they had brought impressed Lucy and she turned to Erza to see if she had anything to contribute. When she did, Lucy found Erza huddled next to her luggage.

"I brought all of those…" she said morosely, causing Lucy to laugh involuntarily. "But fear not, Lucy! We shall find things from my meager luggage to enjoy. Tonight, we shall eat hard, play hard, and sleep hard!"

"I'm sure partying is in there somewhere. What do you say, Lu-chan?"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Lucy ignored the fact that some part of her wanted to scream, "I'm fired up now!" like Natsu did. She was spending far too much time with the guy.

Despite Levy having planned this as a surprise party, apparently the rest of the house staff appeared to be quite aware that they were coming to visit. At least, Capricorn was, considering that he'd made sure the cook had made plenty of food for the guests and had greeted Levy quite graciously. After the girls had packed away a rather filling lunch, they went to the living room where Juvia set up their game of Twister. In the half hour they were playing that game, Lucy learned a rather unfortunate truth.

Mira _was_ bad at something: keeping her competitiveness in check. It quickly transpired that when she wanted to win, she _wanted to win_. The only thing Lucy could liken her to would be a demon. Lisanna agreed with her whole statement under her breath and admitted that perhaps she should have said something before they started to play. This demonic tendency (which was eerily off-putting with the sweet smile) transferred to the board games that Levy had brought, matched only by Erza's crimson intensity. Said intensity made Lucy believe she would never look at Clue the same way again. It also made the four younger girls retreat outside where Juvia was absolutely giddy to find the pool.

"I forgot how those two could get," Levy sighed out. Lucy cast wild eyes at her.

"You mean they're always like this?"

"Big Sis and Erza were rivals when they were younger, despite being into two totally different things," Lisanna told the blonde. "They mostly grew out of it, but from time to time they slip into things again."

"You guys must have had one crazy childhood," Lucy laughed out. It must have come across as somewhat bitter, because Levy put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You may not believe us, Lu-chan, but we only knew each other because we were into music. Believe it or not, most of us couldn't make friends outside of that. I mean, look at me, I'm a short book nerd. Who wants to be friends with that?"

"I do," Lucy said with a smile. Levy hugged her in response. "But we're all friends now, and that's what matters."

"Juvia doesn't know…" Juvia said, rejoining them from the water. "Juvia thinks the group is a family."

"I think Juvia's right," Lisanna concurred. "I know we haven't known each other long, but with the way we've come to know each other over the last year, I consider all of you as much a sister as I do Mira."

Tears came to Lucy's eyes at Lisanna's admission, and she grabbed the three girls into a rather large group hug. Her heart was bursting, the happiness inside overflowing with the tears. Never had her birthday been filled with words or tears of joy and such sentiments. The other girls were all too happy to oblige. When the tears stopped, the four girls went back inside, skirting around the deadly game still playing out in the living room and headed for the music room. From there, the discussion turned to the coming year and their placement within the band. Around dinner, Mira and Erza had finished dueling each other to the death and Capricorn had ordered pizza for the girls. Then it was present time.

Levy had, unsurprisingly, gotten her a book to add to her ever-growing library. Juvia had gotten her what looked to be a CD of a band Lucy had never heard of. The Strauss siblings had pitched in to apparently make a large banner that had everyone from the group's signatures, along with some cash. It was a remarkably thoughtful gesture. Erza, knowing Lucy the least out of all of them, had bought her a rather adorable stuffed animal that quite vividly reminded her of Plue. It was all a very nice gift and after eating Mira's cake, Lucy brought the girls to her room for them to watch one of Lisanna's extensive movie collection. Halfway through, any interest in the film had fallen by the wayside and had given way to idle chatter.

"So, Lisanna tells me that your group from sixth grade is planning on trying to get first place in the Solo and Ensemble Contest in eighth grade?" Mira asked, kicking her legs back and forth from Lucy's bed.

"Yeah, we are," Lucy told the older girl. "It was Natsu's idea…not that he's actually kept us practicing over the summer."

"I suppose that's just how Natsu is," Erza chuckled out. "He can be as lazy as they come, but when he sets his mind to a specific task, he'll see it done without fail. It's probably from his need for acceptance."

"Juvia thinks that sounds strange," Juvia piped in. "Natsu is very accepted and has lots of friends."

"Yes, he does," Erza said. "But I think that Natsu always wants to prove that he can do anything he sets his mind to, ever since his mother left his father when he was young."

"That's…actually pretty sad," Lucy said, feeling her face crunch up in concern.

"We all live with our own demons," Mira answered, her hands folded upon her lap. Lisanna's hand reached over to give her sister's knee a comforting squeeze. "Natsu, however, he always wanted to overcome them, especially when Wendy became his little sister. He adores her in a way he does no one else. I guess that's part of what makes you attracted to him, huh, Lisanna?"

"Mira!" Lisanna protested with an absolutely flushed face. Lucy's eyebrows flew up and a great big smile stretched her face to the splitting point.

"I knew it! You do have a crush on Natsu!" Lucy crowed. Not that the white-haired girl's affections for their pink-haired friend were subtle, but Lisanna turned even redder.

"Please don't say anything to him. I'm not exactly sure I want to let him know, and it's…very personal."

"Hey, we get it. Mum's the word," Lucy said, miming a zipper over her mouth.

"I still think it's adorable. My little sister's first crush!" Mira gushed over her radioactive tomato of a sister. "They used to play house all the time when they were little."

"No, we didn't!" The girls descended into a fit of laughter at that. Much of the rest of the night passed in this fashion, though each of them avoided teasing Lisanna. Instead, they began to tease Juvia, who wasn't exactly subtle about her crush on Gray, either. At one point, Lucy even ribbed Levy about her rather belligerent relationship with Gajeel. When the short bluenette responded by practically attempting to kill Lucy with a thick tome, the girls decided to call it a night, even before Erza or Mira had divulged their own secrets.

They all slept soundly and happily, none more so than Lucy. Early in the morning, Lucy was saying goodbye to each and every one of them. Levy said she'd call to hang out again in the near future and Erza was quite adamant on actually trading numbers for the future. Once they were gone, Lucy returned to her room and decided to listen to the CD that Juvia had gotten her on her computer. When she turned it on, there was a new e-mail…from Natsu. She clicked it out of curiosity and nearly blanched at the terrible grammar. After a couple of minutes, she was able to decipher the rather horribly written e-mail.

 _Wasup, Lucy!_

 _So I heard from Frozen Face who heard from Juvia who heard from Levy that apparently it's your birthday today. Well, just saying Happy Birthday and inviting you to my own big birthday bash on July Seventh at my place. Party's from one to eight or somethin' like that. Hope you can make it. My pops attached a map and they're all lookin' forward to meetin' you._

 _Hope you're feelin' fired up, Natsu._

 _P.S. Sorry for the crappy writing skills. I'm just lazy._

Lucy smiled at the e-mail and quickly sent a reply that she'd be happy to go. It wasn't like she had much to do over the summer anyway. Feeling pleased, Lucy popped in the CD and began to listen.

* * *

"Are you certain you wouldn't like me to stick around, Laady Lucy?" Capricorn asked from the driver's seat as Lucy opened the rear passenger's door and began slipping out. She stopped at her driver's inquiry in order to answer him.

"There's no need Capricorn. I'll call you when I need you to pick me up. I can always ask for a ride home or walk if I really need to," Lucy told him with a smile. "You should take the day off."

"You are as inestimably kind as your mother, milady," Capricorn said in response. He bowed a little from the front seat and Lucy resisted the desire to shake her head. "Very well. Enjoy yourself, and call me when you are ready to depart."

Lucy didn't see any point in a verbal response and she finished slipping out of the car. As soon as the door was slammed shut, the car shot off, leaving Lucy standing alone in front of a rather foreign house. She took this opportunity to examine it. The first thing she noted was how quaint it looked. It was a simple two story home, the exterior decorated with various complimenting shades of cream, red, and blue. In front of the house was a rather gorgeous flower bed that appeared to be tended to quite often by some obvious feminine hands. The rest of the yard, which was closed off by a rather newly painted white fence and contained a walkway leading to the front door, looked to have been freshly mown. Right next to the stone walkway was a considerably large mailbox with no less than _six_ names on it: Igneel, Grandine, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, and Carla.

Lucy's brow furrowed; last she had heard, Natsu only had one sibling, which was Wendy. Thus, she had no idea who this Happy and Carla could be. As she stood there, contemplating this, she felt a sudden pair of arms wrap around her midsection and she felt she must have jumped a mile. An unfamiliar laugh followed. "Wow, you scare easy! You must be Lucy."

"Um…uh…you are?" was all the blonde managed to garble out. She turned to face her rather unorthodox assailant and was surprised by what she saw. Standing next to her was a girl, roughly a year older, with long brown hair and a cheeky grin on her face. She was wearing tight-fitting jeans and a low cut tank top that was evidently meant to display as much cleavage as possible, of which she had plenty. The thing that took Lucy off balance, however, was that in one hand she held an obvious gift, and in the other was a bottle of beer. Drinking age in Fiore was fifteen, but this girl wasn't a day over thirteen. _Although,_ Lucy mused internally, _why am I surprised at this point?_

"Cana Alberona, or do I go by Clive now? I've no idea," the girl answered her question. She followed it up with a laugh and a swig from her bottle. "I know who you are, though. There aren't any female blondes in our group, especially not when they're as busty as you are, hot stuff."

Lucy frowned and puffed her cheeks out. This girl was totally whacked or wasted, and it made Lucy feel incredibly self-conscious about her ever growing chest size. "Thanks…I'm flattered, but that's not really my thing."

"It's not mine, either," Cana admitted with yet another swig. _How much does this girl drink?_ "I just like getting under people's skin, but you're pretty good for us having just met. So, here for the birthday boy's big bash?"

"Yes…" Lucy answered tentatively. Cana seemed to be a handful, like a wall of drunken obliviousness. "How is it you know Natsu?"

"Known each other since we were kids, and then it turns out my dad knows his dad or some nonsense like that. It's all pretty complicated, and I'm not one for details. Point is, we've been friends a looong time." Lucy grimaced at how drawn out and slurred that sentence had been. "Anyway, Lucy, we all know plenty about you. Half the group won't shut up about you, saying things like they feel you were always meant to be a part of the group, or sunshine comes out your ass, or whatever."

"Now I feel a little embarrassed," Lucy said with a rather untimely flush of her face. Cana slapped her heartily on the back a couple times.

"Aw, don't be. Natsu's usually got a good nose for friends, and I already like you. Now, let's go bestie." Lucy wasn't exactly sure she'd describe herself and Cana as "besties", but figured that a friend of Natsu's could most certainly be friend of hers…even if the girl was a rather acquired taste. Cana hooked her arm with Lucy's and began dragging her up the garden path, making the blonde feel like she was being kidnapped, at least until they rang the doorbell. Moments later, the door swung open and a short girl with long blue hair answered the door.

"Hi, Cana," she answered in what Lucy considered the cutest voice known to mankind.

"Hey there, Wendy. Have you gotten any bigger?" Cana teased the little girl with a wink. Wendy looked down, a blush blossoming on her face. "I'm just kidding, squirt. Anyway, I'm heading for whatever booze selection there is!"

As expected, Cana tore off and left Lucy standing awkwardly on the front porch of the Dragneel house. She blinked a few times and looked down just in time for Wendy to look up at her with her big brown eyes. Figuring she had to say _something_ , Lucy cleared her throat. "I'm…uh…I'm here for the party."

To emphasize her point, Lucy held out her wrapped gift. Wendy's eyes widened and she was about to respond when an older female voice interrupted them.

"Wendy, close the door. We don't want bugs getting in. Not in this July heat."

"Sorry, mama. Come in," Wendy finally spoke up. The bluenette stepped aside and allowed Lucy to step inside into the nice, cool air conditioning. She closed the door straight away but remained standing there, staring up at Lucy. "You're really pretty."

"Oh…um…thanks. You're pretty cute, yourself." Lucy replied. She smiled at the girl and briefly played with her skirt and the bottom of her shirt out of poorly concealed nervousness. Wendy returned the smile with one of her own. Lucy heard footsteps and turned in time to see the owner of the older woman's voice walk in the room. She was a beautiful woman, Lucy noted, with hair that was a lighter shade of blue than Wendy and a completely unfazed expression at the sight of Lucy.

"Well, you're someone new," she said with a smile. "I'm Mrs. Dragneel, or Grandine, if you prefer. We're not that formal here. I would guess from the way Natsu described you, you must be Lucy."

"Yes, ma'am…Grandine," Lucy stammered out. She was thrown just a little off balance by the fact that Natsu seemed to have told the whole world about her.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Lucy," Grandine said. "I must admit, you're prettier than Natsu described, and he's been quite, er, descriptive. He won't stop listening to that CD you gave him for Christmas, either."

"Hey, mom, dad's wondering where you put the ice cream since Frosty wants to…Oh, hey Lucy!" Natsu had entered the room and immediately smiled upon catching sight of Lucy. She gave a meek little wave back. He responded by closing the distance between them and giving her a high five. "Been a while, huh? How've you been?"

"Natsu, what's this about Gray and ice cream?" Grandine interrupted tiredly. Lucy suppressed a giggle; even Natsu's family anticipated his tiring antics.

"Like I know what Frostbite's thinking!" Natsu snapped at his mother. For the first time, Lucy realized that Natsu looked nothing like his mother. Even more than that, Wendy looked nothing like Natsu. It reminded her that Grandine was not Natsu's biological mother. "Oh yeah, dad also said that he thinks we should start the whole competition thing."

"Honestly," Grandine sighed out, "your father's as much of a handful as you are, Natsu." Natsu just grinned at his mother as she bustled off. When she was gone, he turned to Lucy, who promptly held her gift out to him.

"Happy Birthday, Natsu!" she said with a rather face-splitting grin.

"That's my line!" Natsu protested. He took the gift from her nonetheless. "Actually, I got you a gift, too. Well, Wendy helped me out since I have no idea what girls like."

"Oh. Natsu, you didn't-"

"Nu-uh. I'm giving you a gift. Now, let's go!" Natsu held out a hand and Lucy hesitated a moment but decided there was no harm in taking it. She'd already been on enough crazy adventures with the boy. Natsu beamed at her and began dragging her up the stairs. Lucy realized that they'd left Wendy behind and before she knew it, they were outside a bedroom. The blonde braced herself when Natsu opened the door and was completely unsurprised to find that his room looked like a tornado had hit it. "It's not as bad as it looks. I know where everything is in my room. Ah, here we are!"

Natsu began making his way back over, but before he could reach her, Lucy felt something soft brush against her ankles and feet. She looked down and saw a cat circling her legs. At least, she thought it was a cat, considering the thing was blue. Lucy bent down to the cat's level and quickly stroked its fur. Said cat looked up at Lucy with large eyes and gave off a meow that sounded all too strangely like an "Aye!". Lucy giggled. "You're one strange kitty. What's your name?"

"She doesn't have any fish, Happy," Natsu said sternly. Happy the cat turned back to Natsu. "Don't you snark at me, buddy. Go talk to Carla or something." Happy gave a final meow and darted off. Lucy watched the cat go with poorly concealed amusement.

"Why is he blue?" was the only question that came from her mouth. Natsu took a moment to think about it.

"I was a curious child." Lucy got the feeling she wouldn't get much more on the subject out of him. "So, that was Happy, and Wendy's cat Carla's somewhere around the house…probably avoiding Happy. Anyway, here you go."

Lucy was handed a rather small box that was wrapped in entirely simplistic wrapping paper. Natsu was looking at her expectantly so the blonde decided it was okay to open it. The gift, after she finished unwrapping it, wasn't what she anticipated. It was…well, beautiful. Inside that little box were two little earrings with hearts on them. The sight almost brought tears to her eyes.

"Natsu…this is…"

"Your last name's Heartfilia, so I figured that you'd like somethin' with hearts. I hope I wasn't wrong." Lucy shook her head and closed the earring case. "Great! Now come on, let's go on more adventures!"

"W-wait!" Natsu grabbed her arm before she had the opportunity to secure the box and began to drag her off. Lucy was able to recover her balance and bring herself alongside Natsu as he finished proceeding to the backyard. The party was in full swing and Lucy immediately saw a number of familiar faces that greeted her. In fact, mostly everyone that was there she knew. The only one she didn't know was the older man with red hair now approaching the duo.

"Hey, pops!" Natsu greeted him before he was smacked on the back of the head. "What was that for, Igneel?"

"For making your mother scold me. I didn't say anything about ice cream!" the man, Igneel, scolded his son.

"Well, you didn't have to hit me, old man!" Natsu leaned in and stood up on his tiptoes to glare at his father, who glared right back at him. Lucy was unsure if she should say or do anything until the two Dragneel males started laughing, making the situation even more mystifying. "So, dad, this is Lucy!"

"Oh, really?" Igneel said. He leaned in and began to skeptically examine Lucy. "She's far too pretty to be your friend, Natsu."

"That's harsh!"

"Igneel Dragneel," Natsu's father said, ignoring his son. He extended a hand and Lucy shook it, noting that it felt remarkably similar to Natsu's hand. "Welcome to the party, Lucy!"

"Yeah!" Lucy said. Igneel guffawed loudly, attracting the attention of his wife.

"Igneel, it's time for the three-legged race," Grandine called over the music playing in the expansive backyard.

"Is it? Well, I'm all fired up for that."

"So am I!" Natsu exclaimed. "Let's do this, Lucy!"

"What? You and me?" Lucy shouted practically involuntarily. This was not something she was expecting.

"'Course! We're a team, right? That and I totally wanna pulverize Snowman this year."

After a few minutes of protest, however, Lucy found herself tied to Natsu and taking part in a Dragneel Birthday Tradition. Never had Lucy thought that a birthday party could be so fun. Then again, the entire Dragneel family seemed to make any situation as fun as possible, whether it was eating a piece of pizza or even a game of hot potato. Truth be told, Lucy almost had too much fun with all the friends she'd made over the last year (even if she and Natsu had only gotten second place since Erza had dragged poor Levy across the ground at breakneck speed). By the time most of the competitions were done, only the boys and Erza ("she's too scary to be a girl," Gray said) were still competing. Lucy took a break to get some soda while some of the other girls were catching up. Lucy was fully prepared to head back to them when she was waylaid by Natsu's adorable little sister, who had shining eyes.

"Hi, I'm Wendy!" the girl chirped excitedly. "I'm Natsu's sister."

"Well, I'm Lucy, Wendy. I'm Natsu's…I think we're friends," Lucy answered un-assuredly.

"Are you in band like my brother?"

"Yes, I am. I play the flute," Lucy said, an unexplainable feeling of happiness welling up inside of her. "Do you like music, too, Wendy?"

Wendy nodded enthusiastically, her blue locks flying everywhere. "I love music! I want to join the music program next year."

"Really? How old are you?" Lucy moved to the side and took a seat at a vacant chair. Wendy moved with her and joined her without hesitation.

"I'm turning eleven in the fall!" Wendy said happily. There was something about this girl, something in the way she spoke so highly of her brother, that made Lucy feel like she was a precious little angel. "I already know that I want to play, too: the clarinet!"

"You don't want to play the drums like your brother?" Wendy now shook her head in response. "Well, that's all right. That means we'll both be playing woodwinds. You must practice a lot if you want to get in."

"Uh-huh." A content silence fell as Wendy continued to smile and stare at Lucy while she sipped on her soda. "Do you have a brother or sister?"

"No, I don't," Lucy answered. "I mean, I once pretended that a doll I named Michelle was my little sister but that was more than a few years ago. It must be fun for you, though, to have Natsu as your big brother."

"Sure is, but sometimes he can be…" Wendy's face screwed up in concentration, like she was trying to find the right words. It was evident after a moment that she was giving up on that quest. "Would you be my sister? I always wanted a sister as pretty as you."

Lucy had to stop herself from spraying her drink everywhere and swallowed it instead, feeling the carbonation burn at her throat. Wendy was looking at her with such earnestness and affection. There was really only one response she could give to the glistening ten-year old. "I'd love to, Wendy."

The bluenette sealed the deal by hugging Lucy and from there the party returned to its usual swing of things. "Usual" was a relative term when it came to the Dragneel family, since they made everything as positively zany as possible, Granted, all the usual trappings of a birthday party were still there, such as cake and present. Lucy, however, felt she had never experienced anything like it by the time she was leaving. Natsu was seeing her off.

"Wendy really seemed to like you," Natsu told her with one of his never-ending grins.

"She's a really sweet little sister," Lucy replied.

"Yeah, she's the best. I think she wants you to come back," Natsu said nonchalantly. "Not that I'd mind if you were to stop by from time to time."

Lucy's eyes couldn't stop themselves from blinking for a moment as she processed just what Natsu was saying to her. "Really? You'd want me to come over?"

"Sure I would. You're an important friend to me. The best," Natsu responded. He held his hand out, expecting a high five. Lucy felt her heart was about to burst, pounding wildly in her chest. Nevertheless, she raised her hand and gave Natsu yet another high five. Tears pricked at her eyes; she had a best friend.

"Yeah, I'm all fired up."

By the time school was about to start, Lucy had decided that July was the best month of the year.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm quite happy with the back half of this chapter…I don't know why. Happy doesn't talk in this (because he's a cat) but I still wanted to keep that snarky relationship between him and Natsu, and I hope it came out well. So, we move forward into seventh grade. Sixth grade was about Natsu and Lucy becoming friends. Seventh grade is about exploring Natsu and Lucy being** _ **best**_ **friends. We'll move forward from there. But until then (holy shit on Fairy Tail 470!) please Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't have anything to say up here…that's strange. Well…Chapter 5, then!**

* * *

Chapter 5

 _Autumn, Seventh Grade_

It was just a little weird, being Natsu's best friend. Mostly because it wasn't much different from being his regular friend. Natsu was still a hyperactive ball of energy and Lucy still had to keep her food away from his grabby hands. When seventh grade started, Natsu abandoned his grand lunch plans and opted for joining Lucy and Levy. Lisanna and Gray also joined them, leading to the three girls moving down the table while the boys fought over a tater tot. Lucy really resisted the urge to facepalm at that one.

It was one of these days that Lucy returned home from school annoyed. Band practice was to resume the next day and Natsu had claimed that he and Gajeel were close to finishing their composition. Her father was working late at the office that day, so Lucy returned to her room to do her homework when her phone suddenly rang from next to her. Lucy jolted and tumbled off the chair before reaching up to see it was Natsu calling.

"Yes, Natsu?" Lucy sighed into her phone.

"Let's hang, Lucy!" he said jovially. Lucy picked herself up off the floor with a frown and righted her chair.

"It's a school night, Natsu. Besides, we sit next to each other in how many classes?" Lucy groaned, looking over her homework and noting that it wasn't marred. Natsu didn't answer and the blonde figured that he must have gone silent at her rejection and ended the call. Lucy snapped her phone shut and sat back down to finish the science problem she was on.

 _Tap_. Lucy's eyebrows knitted together as this latest question was stumping her a little. How was she supposed to know which of those chemicals were flammable? Weren't they all? _Tap._ _Maybe,_ she thought to herself, _I'm just looking at the question the wrong way._ _Tap. Tap. Tap._ Lucy's fist finally clenched, realizing that the tapping sound wasn't in her head, but rather coming from the window. She swiveled on her chair in annoyance to come face to face with Natsu at her window.

Her shock overrode her common sense once her mouth dropped open. She snapped out of her chair and opened the window, allowing Natsu to come in without a care in the world. He looked around the room with his arms folded and seemed to be impressed. Lucy's brain was too busy trying to catch up with her reality that she didn't even see Natsu staring at her with that disarming grin. "What…what are you…?"

"I said we should hang," Natsu laughed out, like everything was okay. Like _hell_ were things okay! Now it was anger overriding common sense.

"That does not mean I want you coming into my room. And don't you dare sit on my bed!" Lucy was starting to get particularly livid at the fact that Natsu was sitting comfortably on her bed. "How did you even get up here?"

"I climbed, of course," Natsu answered, as if that were the natural response. "All right, Lucy. I'll go, but only on one condition."

"I'm almost scared to ask," Lucy told him pointedly. She never knew what to expect with this boy. He just continued grinning as he sidled over and slung an arm over her shoulder. Lucy thought of shoving it off but figured there was no point to it.

"You have dinner at my house tomorrow night," Natsu told her. Lucy turned her head; that seemed to be a particularly tame request. "Wendy misses you. Apparently you guys talk every week, but she won't shut up, so pops told me to ask you over. Come on, say yes."

"All right, Natsu, all right!" Lucy laughed, finally shoving his arm off. "Dinner tomorrow. Now, get out of my room before I kick you."

Natsu laughed maniacally as he hopped onto the window sill and appeared to jump off. Lucy didn't check to see if he was all right. Considering all the fights he had with Gray, she wouldn't have been surprised if Natsu was immune to blunt force. She turned back to her homework after shutting her window and a small piece of paper fell to the ground from her pocket. Lucy picked it up and after deciphering the messy, illegible scrawl, realized it was the answer to the problem that she was working on. Giggling to herself, Lucy returned to her work.

The next day, the school was more abuzz than usual, or maybe it was just that way around the people she hung around, considering the start of the band season was that day. Levy and Lisanna were both excited in their English class and Juvia was actually smiling in math. When the end of the day arrived, the former sixth graders made their way to the larger and more impressive band room. Plenty of familiar faces peppered the room, greeting the girls, and there were some others that were new faces. Lucy caught sight of Erza, sitting quite properly in her chair and she even managed to see Cana, who winked and waved at her before returning to her conversation with Gray. It seemed that she was the section leader for the trumpets.

Lucy spared a very brief wave and said her goodbyes, watching Lisanna go to her section and sit next to a snobbish looking girl with brown hair and glasses. Juvia, meanwhile, left to sit with the clarinets. Lucy continued to follow after Levy and the two girls took a seat next to Mira, who wasn't wearing a smile today. The blonde figured it had something to do with the boy hanging on her music stand. From Lucy's quick observation, he looked well-built and, she supposed, handsome with his blond hair. Otherwise, his leering gaze was disturbing.

"Just think about it, Mira," the boy said, a smirk on his lips. Mira glared daggers at the boy and Lucy decided it was best to ignore the whole thing and pretend it never happened.

"Nothing to think about. I'll go to the Winter Formal with you when Elfman and Evergreen start dating," Mira snapped ferociously.

"That can be arranged, you know," the boy said haughtily before stomping off. Mira looked to take a moment to recover from whatever confrontation she'd just had before turning to Lucy and Levy.

"Lucy! Levy! It's been a while. How are you girls doing?" she asked with a gleaming smile. Levy proceeded to answer while Lucy's eyes followed the blond boy back to the drums area as she put her flute together. Natsu was back there, too, and when he saw her he gave her a wave that she returned. A quick and quiet (relatively speaking) tapping filled the room and every student turned towards the podium where Mr. Yajima was standing. Lucy wasn't surprised that he would be the teacher for the top band in the school.

"All right, kiddos, hope you're all ready for another great year," Yajima told them. He handed a stack of papers to Mira, who took one and passed it on to Levy. "As you can see, this is our schedule for this year. We have a few competitions, but nothing too serious."

Lucy took her own sheet from Levy before passing it on to Sherry next to her. Her eyes scanned the papers and noticed that they had both concerts, some festival on Tenrou Island, and two other competitions in one of the surrounding towns. Most odd, though, was the item at the top of the list that was marked as "Fantasia Parade". She'd only heard a little bit about this Fantasia and its accompanying Harvest Festival, but hadn't been granted the opportunity to go last year. One thing she did know was that there had never been rumors of the middle school band marching in the parade before.

"As you'll see, we have a new item to the list," Yajima said as he was now handing out the first piece for them to practice. Lucy took note that it looked relatively simplistic. "I've talked it out with Macky and the parade organizers and, as of today, this band will take part in the Fantasia parade in early October. I don't know if this will be a permanent thing or just for this year, but let's make the most of it. Let's start from the top of this piece."

Quickly into the piece, Lucy realized why the piece seemed simple: they were meant to memorize it. It showed when the band only took three tries to get it down perfectly. Practice moved quicker than it had in sixth grade, but Lucy had no trouble keeping pace and the band had already moved on to their second piece by the time Yajima called an end to the practice. He told them to focus on memorizing it over the weekend before leaving the room.

"This is exciting," Mira said, her previous foul mood having vanished. "We've _never_ had a chance to be in Fantasia before. I wonder what made it happen this year?"

"Is this Fantasia a big deal, or…?" Lucy asked, still unfamiliar with all of Magnolia's customs.

"It's not a big deal per se," Levy began to explain, "but to be a part of it is exciting. You have no idea how many years we've watched that parade, but now we get to be a part of it."

"Super awesome! You'll understand when you come to the Harvest Festival with us this year. You will join us, right?" Lisanna asked, joining the girls as they weaved their way through the stands and out of the room.

"Sure," Lucy said, not seeing the option for any other response.

"Just make sure you visit my family's stand," Gray said while he and Natsu flanked their group, making it larger than ever. Gray was already half-naked, which Lisanna pointed out. He ran off to where Juvia was holding the discarded clothing."

"Fantasia's pretty sweet, Lucy," Natsu told her as they exited into the hallway. "My dad's a reporter so he usually gets VIP treatment for everything. Getting to be a part of it's even better, though."

"Fantasia's stupid." The girls plus Natsu stopped and looked around to see just who had uttered those words. Lucy found him first, but didn't say anything when she did, especially when the other girls leveled death glares at the boy. He was leaning against the wall next to the doors they'd come through, twiddling drumsticks in one hand and lazily looking at his cell phone with his other.

"Not all of us think so," Lisanna countered. The boy smirked and shrugged.

"Like I care what you think."

"Take it back, Laxus!" Natsu suddenly growled, stepping forward at the same time.

"Why should I, Natsu? Fantasia's for little kids, or maybe just kids who don't know how to grow up. It might be fun the first time, but after that it's a waste of time for everybody." Lucy watched the boy, Laxus, and decided that she didn't care for him. It was no wonder Natsu didn't like him when he was so abrasive.

"Don't you dare look down on Fantasia," Natsu said, his voice a little lower this time. "Don't let your daddy issues get in the way of Lucy having a good time."

"Who the hell is Lucy?" Laxus spat, though his tone indicated that he didn't even care. Lucy stepped back in an attempt to try and conceal herself. "And don't you talk about me like you know me, Salamander."

"Keep running your mouth like a generator and I don't care if I say that you're a-"

"Watch it, Dragneel!" Laxus was no longer slouching, having stood up straight and pocketed his cell phone to get into a livid Natsu's face. Lisanna looked impossibly torn, wanting to pull Natsu away while Levy looked frightened. Lucy couldn't see Mira's face, but she was more focused on Natsu's fury, anyway. His reaction to Laxus' words seemed to be about far more than her having a good time.

"Why don't you make me?" Natsu said, his toes angling up a little to match Laxus' height. "Stop thinking you're special just 'cause you're related to Gramps."

Laxus' fist was moving before Natsu finished what he was saying and connected squarely with Natsu's nose. Natsu flew back, letting go of his backpack as it skittered across the floor. He left it alone and tackled straight for Laxus' midsection. He barely pushed the older boy backward, but Laxus must have taken it as a clear sign to fight. Lucy was transfixed, horrifically so, on the sight of the two boys grappling with each other. Fists were flying, battering each other's faces as they rolled along the ground. Laxus grabbed Natsu's hair and yanked upward while Natsu reached over and bit viciously on his arm, the blood from his nose dribbling onto the bite mark.

"Take it back!" Natsu screeched. Laxus grunted as he was elbowed in the stomach, and refused to retract his statement.

"Guys, stop it…" Lisanna uttered meekly. Both of them ignored her and Lucy's hands knitted themselves together furiously. Mira stepped forward and stood over the brawling boys. Lucy was about to reach over and pull her back until Levy stopped her from doing so.

"Stop it," Mira demanded, her voice becoming lower and more frightening. "Now."

Natsu stopped automatically and started shivering. Laxus turned away from Natsu with a hearty scoff. "Haven't seen that face in a long time."

"No more fighting," Mira warned and Lucy felt her own legs start shaking. Natsu nodded profusely.

"What's going on here?' sounded Yajima's voice. Everyone in the vicinity but Laxus gulped as they turned to their teacher, who was looking at the scene with disappointment. "Natsu, Laxus, my office. I'll be calling your families."

"Hey! He started it!" Natsu claimed. Technically, it was true, but Natsu's bloody nose and Laxus' bruised face were hardly convincing factors.

"Do you want to get the principal involved?" Now, Natsu was shaking his head. He stood and grabbed his bag, trudging after Yajima alongside Laxus. The older boy was refusing to look at anyone, taking out his headphones and covering his ears stubbornly. Lucy began to follow after them.

"Sorry, but Natsu's my ticket home," Lucy apologized.

"Don't forget about practice tomorrow!" Lisanna reminded her. Lucy waved before turning back to the task of following the two delinquents. Neither they nor Yajima acknowledged her following them before they turned into his office and slammed the door. Lucy pouted a little silently, but positioned herself outside the door and took out a notebook to work on her writing. Loud noises, likely yelling, echoed from the room and Lucy cringed little.

"Are you all right, little lady?" an older voice said from in front of her. Lucy suddenly realized that she had shut her eyes from the yelling. She now opened them and only had to look up a small distance to see the diminutive form of Director Makarov Dreyar staring at her kindly.

"Oh…yes. I'm just waiting for Natsu, sir," Lucy answered respectfully. Makarov shuffled around and plopped himself on the floor next to her. The blonde opened her mouth to ask why but the older man started speaking again.

"Natsu…My old friend told me that buffoon and my idiot grandson got in another fight," he sighed. "I'm not a young man. Doesn't Laxus realize what he's doing to my health?"

"Uh…where's his dad, sir?"

"Feel free to call me gramps, my child." Makarov patted her knee consolingly before answering her question solemnly. "Not around. Ivan left Laxus in _my_ care, the foolish brat. One day he just dumps Laxus at my door and takes off to who-knows-where. Probably running from some debt collectors or victims of his get-rich-quick schemes. He never was the most obedient son. But enough about me. What's your name, child?"

"Um, Lucy, sir. Lucy Heartfilia," she answered as quickly as she could, her hands clasped on her notebook.

"Ah, yes…our terrible trio has mention you. Miss McGarden has spoken highly of you as well."

"I'm not sure I understand, sir," Lucy told him with a smile. She was starting to get an inkling of how the relationships worked, but ever since Natsu's birthday party, she'd been wondering how everybody knew of her…other than Natsu having a big mouth. Makarov turned with a pleasant smile on his lips.

"I'm sure the others have mentioned me as an advocate of music for youths. Those kids have been a part of it since quite a young age and they meet at a local bar once a month. You should stop by if you have the opportunity."

"O-okay…" Lucy uttered quietly. Makarov didn't say anything more and Lucy found herself shrinking back into her own thoughts. The invitation to join this group was a welcome and entirely unexpected one. If anything, Lucy felt it would offer a great chance to get to know Natsu and the rest of her friends better. A loud snore erupted from next to her and it appeared that Makarov had fallen asleep. "Um…sir, what about your grandson?"

"Hrm…that impetuous child? I'll let him stew a little bit," Makarov answered, showing that he truly wasn't asleep at all. Lucy blinked in his direction and Makarov sighed, laying his hands out on his legs. His right hand closed, or almost closed, with only his index finger and thumb sticking out and his palm facing upward. "He causes me no end of grief. I try to always look out for him, but he just gets worse by the year."

Lucy was unsure if she should say anything but watched while Makarov raised his hand into the air. The gesture only lasted for a short time before Makarov lowered his hand and stood. He offered one last smile to Lucy and the blonde watched him amble over to the door and poke his head inside Yajima's office. Laxus exited moments later, ignoring both Lucy and his grandfather…at least until Makarov yelled his name.

"What do you want, you old geezer?" Laxus snapped.

"Laxus, how many times have I asked you to not start any fights?" Makarov asked wearily. "You're lucky Yajima is so forgiving, otherwise being removed from Fantasia wouldn't have been the only thing to happen."

"Like I care. Fantasia is for sissies," Laxus seethed vehemently, giving a glare to his grandfather.

"Since when? You used to love Fantasia," Makarov countered. "You'd always cheer the band on with gusto."

"Like you really even noticed. You were so busy with your band that you never had any time for and my stupid hand gestures. You were probably the same way with dad." Laxus turned on his heels and began to storm away. "Well, guess what? I'm done living in your shadow, old man. No one's looking out for me as my own person, so I'll just do things my way."

Laxus continued his dramatic departure with the diminutive Makarov darting after him. Lucy continued to watch and saw the form of what looked like Grandine bustling past them and towards the door to Yajima's office. The flutist quickly gathered her things and stood while shoving them in her bag. By the time she'd finished, Grandine was exiting the office with Natsu in tow.

"Are you ready to go, Lucy?" Grandine asked, holding onto the scarf of a surly Natsu. Lucy nodded and Natsu's stepmother proceeded to lead the two pre-teens to the car she had clearly driven in. It was an absolute marvel at how calm Grandine was and how quiet Natsu was being. When they got into the car, that circumstance quickly changed. "Natsu, you absolute idiot! How could you be so stupid as to get into a fight?"

"It wasn't _my_ fault! Laxus started it!" Natsu defended himself.

"Oh, and I'm sure you resisted the urge to jump right in for as long as you could," Grandine drawled sarcastically. Lucy was taken aback by how harsh Natsu's mother was being. It was entirely foreign to her. "Natsu, we've been down this road before. You're lucky to have gotten away with detention on Monday."

"Come on, mom, I'm twelve now. You know I don't get into fights with anybody but Gray unless I can't help it. Stop chas…chas…Don't yell at me." Lucy snorted, but it wasn't loud enough to interrupt the conversation. Natsu looked almost cute when he tried using big words that weren't suited for him. Grandine must have thought so, too, because she pulled the pinkette in for a hug.

"Oh, Natsu, you know I love and care about you," she said in response. Natsu nodded before his mother pulled away and offered a small ice pack for him to put on his nose before placing something gingerly on his neck. It was sweet, seeing a mother that cared so deeply for her son. "Well, are we ready for some dinner? Wendy's very excited to see you, Lucy."

"I'm excited to see her, too," Lucy answered honestly. Grandine gave a smile that was clearly shared in the entire Dragneel family and began driving off towards their home. Natsu didn't speak the whole car ride, since he was too busy holding an ice pack to his nose and looking a little queasy. When they pulled up, Lucy could see a red car sitting in the driveway with a license plate that read "FRE DRGN". "Looks like your father's home."

"What's for dinner?" Natsu asked, pulling the ice pack away. It looked like his nose had stopped bleeding.

"Chicken. Now, go get washed up. Lucy, you're free to hang around while I finish dinner. Hopefully, Igneel hasn't set foot in the kitchen while I've been gone." Lucy garbled some form of affirmative and sprang out of the car to follow Natsu into the house. It was an obviously familiar sight to her and Lucy dropped her bag to the side of the front hallway as she took her shoes off. She then turned toward what she presumed was the living room.

"Lucy!" cried the familiar voice that Lucy knew belonged to Wendy. Seconds later, she found herself tackled by the young girl in a light hug. "It's been so long!"

"Yes, it has," Lucy laughed out. "How have you been, Wendy?"

"I've been practicing a lot. Wanna hear me play?" Wendy asked, smiling up at Lucy. The blonde noticed that one of her teeth was missing and she figured that the last of Wendy's adult teeth were growing in.

"I'd love to." Wendy grabbed Lucy's hand in a way that was reminiscent of Natsu and began leading her on a familiar path to the upstairs. This time, they went to the opposite side of the hallway and into a much more organized room. Once again, Lucy was unsurprised: Wendy seemed like a very neat person. The bluenette quickly bounced over to a chair that had a clarinet on it with a musical stand in front of it.

Before she could begin to play, a white cat with well-groomed fur hopped from a bookshelf onto Wendy's lap. Lucy took a guess that this was Carla. Wendy picked the cat up gingerly, whose eyes were currently transfixed on Lucy, and placed her on the bed. Then she returned to the chair and began to play. Lucy found an extra chair and watched Wendy play with a smile. It was evident that the girl was a younger player, but she was extremely skilled for her age. Her love for music shone through every note and Lucy found herself enjoying simply being there.

"What do you think?" Wendy asked, her big eyes gleaming hopefully.

"You were wonderful, Wendy," Lucy said, clapping lightly. Wendy almost tripped on the stand in order to hug Lucy again, but a knock on the door interrupted them. It opened seconds later to the sight of Natsu's waving.

"Mom says dinner's ready," he told them. Lucy stood and grabbed Wendy's hand to help her untangle herself from her stand as they left the room. "So, guess what, Wendy? !"

"You know I'm not good at guessing what goes through your crazy mind, Natsu." Wendy told him. Lucy smiled and allowed a slight giggle to escape her lips.

"Isn't that the truth?" Lucy joked with the younger girl.

"That's harsh, Lucy! I thought we were friends," Natsu said with a pouting face. "Anyway, the band is gonna play in Fantasia this year!"

"Really?" Wendy asked. At this, she let go of Lucy's hand and turned to her brother with so much joy, the blonde was surprised she didn't see sunlight radiating from her. "My big brother's in Fantasia?"

"That's right! So, make sure you watch for me, got it?" Natsu said with a proud expression. Wendy started bouncing up and down like this was the best news in the world. Natsu looked to Lucy with yet another grin. "Wendy loves Fantasia. When she saw her first show at five years old, she knew that she wanted to be a musician. Of course, she wasn't old enough back then like I was."

Now, Lucy understood why Natsu had picked that fight with Laxus. It hadn't been about her first time with Fantasia or even some issue of pride. The reason was far more simple and pure. His little sister loved Fantasia for what it was and what it did for her. Natsu hadn't wanted Laxus to stampede over such a precious memory. Although, judging from Laxus' conversation with his grandfather, he had equally powerful reasons for hating Fantasia. Two conflicting viewpoints, each not willing to budge for reasons that clearly meant more than a brushoff. Lucy's finger found its way to her chin in thought. Natsu and Laxus would continue to fight as long as they had these opinions, but Lucy felt there had to be a way to heal the rift in between them. Not that she was one to talk since she could barely get her own father to look at her.

This was still on Lucy's mind when she joined the Dragneel family in the kitchen. Igneel was at the table already, getting his hand slapped by his wife as he tried to take chicken. When they were all seated, Grandine picked up the platter and passed it around the table. Predictably, Natsu took a lot. Lucy only took as much as looked presentable.

"That's it?" Natsu asked incredulously at the sight of her plate. Lucy glared at him.

"Yes, because all of this is actually going in my stomach and not on the floor." Wendy laughed and Natsu let his jaw hang open.

"That's so Happy can eat it!" he shot back defiantly.

"Didn't you tell me Happy only eats fish?" Natsu's own mouth was now gaping like an actual fish as he spluttered incoherently to defend himself. Lucy smirked and cut neatly into her chicken.

"She's got your number, Natsu!" Igneel roared out with laughter. "I like her."

"Speaking of Natsu," Grandine began, pointing a fork with a speared piece of chicken at her husband, "your son got into a fight today at school."

"Did you win?" Igneel asked. Grandine rolled her eyes at her husband's evident disinterest.

"It was a draw," Natsu answered sulkily.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. I taught you better than that," Igneel scolded his son. "The Dragneel men don't lose fights."

Lucy snorted into her food and that launched the whole family into a titter of laughter. It also broke the ice between Lucy and the Dragneel family. They asked her questions and she would snark at Natsu whenever he gave a snarky answer in her place. Wendy would laugh and Lucy could see how remarkably close the Dragneel family was. More than that, though, Lucy felt herself pulled in and beginning to belong to this positively kooky family. It was everything she had wanted and more from a family dinner.

In between dinner and dessert, Happy seemed to find his way into the kitchen and hopped onto Lucy's lap where she began to absentmindedly pet him. Dessert proved to be as eventful as dinner with a chocolate pudding pie topped with strawberries and served with ice cream. Lucy realized that the Dragneels never skimped on anything, even flicking a piece of ice cream across the table at one another.

"Stop that, Natsu," Grandine said, but she had laughter on her lips. Natsu finished his last attack on Wendy, but Lucy was the one to feel the cold substance of ice cream hit her face.

"Oops. Sorry 'bout that, Lucy," Natsu apologized, using his finger to wipe it off her cheek and eat it. Lucy didn't know why, but she felt her face heat up quickly at the action.

"Why's your face all red, Lucy?" Wendy asked. Not even she could answer that question by the time Igneel had taken her back home (with Natsu tagging along). All she could answer was that she'd had a lovely time between dinner, dessert, and the strange game of charades they'd played.

"Let's do it again sometime," Natsu said as he said goodbye. Lucy reached out and gave him a high five, which continued onto more complicated motions. Then she smiled and responded aloud.

"Definitely."

* * *

Weeks passed and the band continued to improve both at their technical level and on their memorization of songs for the upcoming Fantasia. Wendy had begun to come over to Lucy's house on the weekends, sometimes for sleepovers after dinner at the Dragneel house. Other girls would join them often enough, mostly Levy and Juvia (who had begun monopolizing their time by talking about the "wonderful attributes of Gray-sama"). Lisanna and Erza would occasionally join, too, but the former seemed much busier on the weekends. Lucy wasn't sure if that was good or bad; she'd felt a little guilty about spending so much time with Natsu when Lisanna had a crush on him, but the other girl appeared to not be bothered by it.

Lucy's father was as busy as ever, in and out of the house on numerous trips, meaning that she never got to see him. It was starting to wear on her, but she had her friends to keep her mind away from things. She did, however, notice how tired he was looking, and even if she didn't voice it, she was beginning to get worried about him. Her father wasn't the only thing she was worried about. Despite the fact that they hadn't fought since that day, tensions continued to run high between Natsu and Laxus, which appeared to be exacerbated by Laxus' growing displeasure of practicing Fantasia music.

"I'm worried they'll explode one day," Lucy voiced to Erza one day.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Lucy," the redhead responded. "They've fought since kindergarten."

"The fact that you don't view that as a problem is what scares me," Lucy admitted. Erza's subsequent shrug told Lucy she wouldn't get any help from her in placating the two. It was enough to make Lucy scowl in displeasure. All she wanted was something to let them know they were both being watched over and didn't have to worry about their pride or their bad memories…or whatever.

That was when it hit Lucy. She raised her hand and stuck out her thumb and index finger, making the same sign that Makarov had made when talking about trying to watch over Laxus. "Erza…we're all a team, right?"

"I suppose so. Why do you ask?" she asked, popping nearly a whole slice of strawberry cake into her mouth.

"Well, that means we'll always look out for each other, right?" Erza nodded, since her mouth was full and she had slightly better table manners than Natsu. "Maybe they just need to be reminded of that."

"How so?" she asked after taking a single, large swallow. Lucy raised her hand with the sign into the air.

"As we finish the parade, we do this. What do you say?"

Erza continued to look skeptical, but obviously considered it to be worth giving a shot because she answered with a, "I'll pass it around."

That made Lucy feel pleased with herself, and judging by the comments from her closest friends, the message was heard loud and clear. It turned out, as the day of Fantasia arrived, that everyone understood what the sign meant and Lucy felt more confident than ever. She also felt more exhausted than ever since Levy and Lisanna dragged she and Juvia around to every single booth at the Harvest Festival. They didn't stay long at any single booth except for the one run by Gray's family. Here they spent more than fifteen minutes while Juvia fawned over Gray, and Lucy introduced herself to Gray's older cousin, Ultear. Eventually they were whisked off again until arriving at the school to prepare for the parade.

"We're all ready," Mira informed Lucy once they'd arrived at their site for the parade and got into arrangement. Lucy nodded, only a little nervous.

Soon after, the procession for Fantasia began, though the chatter around the band didn't stop, since they weren't quite near the main road that ran through Magnolia. Lucy tried to breathe in and out, consistently telling herself that this was going to work, or at least wouldn't blow up in her face. "Here it goes, I guess."

"I think it's sweet that you're doing so much for Natsu." Lucy wanted to vehemently deny whatever Mira was implying, but the sound of the impressive high school band that was marching in vision range distracted her. A smile settled on Lucy's face as she watched the multicolored uniforms of the Magnolia Music Program flit past. That was also when Lucy caught sight of the brilliant luminescence lining the street lamps. The band now surged onto the main road and Lucy saw how wildly packed the streets were. The weirdest part was that despite it being nighttime, the streets were so brightly lit it was like daytime. Yajima tweeted through a whistle and Lucy raised her flute and began to play.

The hardest part was keeping a balance between all the stimuli entering her brain: the music she was playing, the steps she was taking, and the crowd cheering around her. It was a lot for someone who'd never even been to Fantasia before, but Lucy felt confident next to Mira and Levy. The most surprising thing was how long the route was and the genuine cheers that the band received. Lucy even found herself thinking about the cheering crowd and what a testament it was to the band program being so popular.

Then the end of the route was nearing and Yajima tweeted for the final song to begin. Lucy saw Natsu, leading the band in place of Laxus, tap out the cadence. The band launched into the final, rousing song and Lucy marveled at what a perfect fit it was for what they were about to do. The song swelled with emotion and purpose to a stunning peak before coming back down to a gentle finish, the void being filled with Natsu's lone tapping. At this, Lucy raised her hand and felt Mira and Levy do the same. Out of her peripheral vision, Lucy could see Wendy jumping up and down, contained by her parents. There was also Makarov watching the band with tears in his eyes. Laxus was next to him, but he turned away so he didn't have to watch. All of that was rendered moot by the band finishing up and Natsu turning around.

Lucy saw his mouth fall open and he almost dropped his drumsticks. Lucy kept her smiling gaze on him, but could only imagine the sight of all the hands raised behind her. It said everything, and Natsu got the message. It may not have healed the rift, but it was enough that everyone in the band was untied for a single purpose. A large firework exploded overhead as the band scattered into much smaller groups, bathing everyone in red and gold. Lucy gripped her flute tightly and made her way to Natsu. Wendy beat her to it, catching sight of the blonde underneath the now green and blue fireworks and hugging her.

"Thank you, Lucy. You made this the best Fantasia ever!" Wendy cried. Natsu finished approaching them.

"So, you're the one who came up with it? Pretty smooth, Lucy," Natsu admitted. Lucy rose her hand once again after Wendy had detached herself to rejoin her parents. Judging from the little girl's expression, she didn't really get what had just happened, but Lucy was happy that she was happy.

"Remember. I'll always be watching over you, Natsu. That's what best friends are for."

"Yeah…you are the best," Natsu proclaimed, suddenly wrapping his arms around Lucy in a great bear hug. Lucy was shocked, but after recovering, she hugged him back, not embarrassed to be doing so in the slightest.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And so we see the birth of the Fairy Tail sign, though it's obviously not known as such right now in the story. Laxus, clearly has his pre-Fighting Festival personality, but we all know he'll get to his post-Tenrou Island personality eventually. Also, I had a near problem with the Fairy Tail sign because Wendy doesn't know what it is in Musical Chairs. Well, she was never told the meaning here and considering that it's four years later, she just forgot it was ever used. So…yeah. I had fun developing the relationships further. Next chapter will probably be a little fluffier and will cap off seventh grade. We'll reach that Solo and Ensemble Contest soon. Well, until next time, Review, pass the word on and Dare to Be Silly.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Fluffity fluffs of fluff fluff! That's what this chapter is…kinda…Well, you'll see for yourselves. Chapter 6 time!**

* * *

Chapter 6

 _Winter, Seventh Grade_

"The Winter Formal?" Lucy questioned at lunch on the first of December. Juvia's eyes appeared to light up at the topic of conversation, her stare traveling down the table to where Natsu was pointing furiously at a piece of music to Gray. Lucy was more focused on giving her questioning glance to Lisanna.

"Yeah, it's open to all seventh and eighth graders," the white haired girl answered.

"Somehow, I'm not that interested in it," the blonde responded. Lisanna deflated.

"Oh…I was hoping we could all go together as a group," Lisanna confessed demurely, her index fingers twisting together. Lucy softened at that.

"It's not that I have anything against dances," she mused with a finger on her chin. Her gaze traveled off to the side where she caught sight of Natsu and Gray now huddling together. "It's just…after years of having to attend ballroom dances for my dad's business, I'm a little turned off. Besides, wouldn't you rather go with Natsu?"

"Lucy, he's about as likely to realize I'm asking as Levy is to admitting she's crushing on Gajeel."

"Hey!" Levy protested meekly from behind her book. In fact, the conversation was so distracting that Levy put her book down to take part. "Why don't we all just go as a group? Lu-chan, this dance isn't exactly like your other ones. We'd just be going for fun. And who knows, you may meet your Prince Charming."

"Juvia has already met hers," the bluenette on Lucy's other side sighed out. Lucy stared at her in poorly concealed amusement.

"Just ask him." Juvia shook her head in embarrassment, causing Lucy to sigh heavily. "Hey, Gray!"

"What's up, Lucy?" the dark-haired boy asked, looking up from whatever he and Natsu were doing.

"You wanna go to the Wint-"

"Hands off, hussy! He's mine!" Juvia snapped, suddenly slapping a hand over Lucy's mouth. Gray looked confused but shrugged it off and returned to what he was doing. When he had turned away, Juvia removed her hand and glared daggers at her friend. "Love rival…"

"Hardly," Lucy drawled. "I was just going to ask him for you. I'd rather not go out with a nudist."

Lisanna and Levy broke out into giggles at that one while Juvia fumed silently. After the giggling had subsided, Lisanna turned back imploringly to Lucy. "Just think about it, Lucy. Please?"  
"All right…" The girls dropped the conversation after that, talking instead about their ensemble piece that Natsu and Gajeel had yet to unveil (or complete, for that matter). They also talked about their upcoming concert and the general excitement that the band was feeling. Levy, in particular, was feeling immensely nervous as she had been chosen as the soloist for the concert, though the girls did their best to console her.

After the bell rang to signify the end of lunch, the girls didn't really see each other until band practice rolled around. Lucy happened to get there early and only a few students were in the room, including a continually surly Laxus. Lucy just walked to her seat and avoided making eye contact. He was still a jerk, just not as vocal of a one. She may have been biased in that opinion, since the blond boy was always ignoring her after what she pulled at Fantasia; that was probably exacerbated by the fact that their little sign was often tossed around the group when someone needed encouragement. Laxus probably couldn't stand the thought of it. Mira joined her as she finished setting her flute up.

"Are you excited for the Winter Formal, Lucy?" Mira asked, humming lightly as an afterthought.

"I guess I should be…everyone's talking about it enough," Lucy chuckled out. "Are you going with anybody?"

"Nope," Mira answered, popping her "p" at the end. "I've had a lot of offers, though. I'm starting to think that Erza and I should just go as a group."

"So, you're not going with the burly, buff blond that's been glaring venomously at us since I sat down?"

"Laxus can take himself…he's got enough ego for two people," Mira spat, turning her head so that her eye line didn't catch a single hair of Laxus. Lucy watched the older girl and refrained from commenting. There was definitely something between Laxus and Mira, and Lucy could only guess that it would never go anywhere as long as the blond was such a big jerk.

Lucy sighed instead of saying more and suspended any thoughts on the matter to focus on her music. It was rather effective and she'd forgotten about the whole Winter Formal deal by the time she and Natsu were heading back to his house for dinner. Natsu was talking about some wild story between him, Gray and Erza from childhood and Lucy found herself laughing.

"You know, you've got a nice laugh," Natsu admitted as they walked up the Dragneel garden path.

"Where'd that come from?" Natsu shrugged and Lucy elbowed him playfully. "How's the music coming along?"

"Gajeel and I are almost done. We'll probably be ready to practice by spring," Natsu admitted, opening the door to the house. Happy was at the threshold. "Talk about desperate, buddy. Mom stop you from having fish again?" Happy meowed indignantly (or at least, Lucy thought so) and scampered off. "What'd you say, you little furball? I raised you! Show some respect!"

"Do you guys have a name for it yet?" Lucy asked, pulling Natsu out of his argument with his _cat_.

"That's a secret, Lucy," Natsu responded cheekily. "On a different note: do you wanna go to the Winter Formal?"

"Say what?" Lucy choked out, certainly not expecting such a request from _Natsu_ , of all people.

"Tundra Boy is going with Cana as friends, though I think she just wants an excuse for going without saying 'spiking the punch'," Natsu told her. Lucy breathed; of course, Natsu wasn't asking her because he wanted to go with her. He just wanted to upstage Gray.

"Sorry, Natsu, but I'm pretty sure there's someone else who'd rather go with you."

"Huh?" Natsu's dumbfounded face confirmed that he had no idea what she was talking about. Lucy didn't explain either, leaving the pinkette in order to join his sister in the living room while the bluenette lazily clicked through channels.

"How are you today, Wendy?"

"Bored…" Wendy sighed out. Lucy almost laughed, thinking that there was no way it could ever be boring in the Dragneel household. "Natsu says you guys have a dance coming up."

"I guess so…I didn't know about it until today."

"Are you going?" Lucy opened her mouth to answer the younger girl, but Wendy was more talkative than usual. "Are you going to ask Natsu?"

"Why would I-?" Lucy stopped herself before she could finish the question. Of course, Wendy would ask that. The two spent so much tie together, it would be obvious to anyone else that they should go together. "No, I'm not. Me and the other girls are going as a group."

"I bet you'd look really pretty in a dress," Wendy commented innocently, like she hadn't just tricked Lucy into saying that she'd go to the dance. She couldn't even deny it, because Natsu entered the living room not five seconds later, meaning he'd heard everything. When she got home that night, Lucy called up Lisanna and told her she was in. There was still a little bit of trepidation that this was going to be just as stuffy and manipulative as all her other dances, but Lucy tried to get herself excited about it. To do so, she waded into her closet and found a lovely silver sequined dress that was perfect for the event.

In the week that preceded the dance, every seventh and eighth grader seemed exceptionally excited. The band members had two reasons to be so, since their concert would take place only a week later. As the day of the dance grew closer, Lucy suggested they all meet up at her house to make transportation easier. This was met with cries of gratefulness from everyone but Juvia, who was still upset that she wasn't going with Gray. When the day came, though, she was acting like it hadn't made a difference and the four rode in Lucy's limo to the school. It was no surprise that they attracted attention, even if Cana and Erza were attracting more.

"No spiking the punch!" Erza sternly reprimanded the brunette.

"You're such a buzzkill, Erza," Cana laughed out. Gray was many feet away from his "date", looking rather mortified by the routine she was putting on. Lucy also noticed Natsu and Gajeel in a far corner of the gym, looking uncomfortable in their formal wear. She knew neither really wanted to be there, but Natsu could never pass up an opportunity to beat Gray at anything and Gajeel was the same with Natsu. He wasn't awkwardly standing there much longer as Lisanna had approached him for a chat.

"What's a beautiful snowflake like yourself doing here all alone?" said a voice like melted caramel from right next to Lucy's ear. She jumped back, only to fall into some other boy's arms.

"You honestly shouldn't look that pretty," said another voice. Lucy now jumped away from the grip and surveyed the two boys that had just accosted her. They were…strange. Sure, they were handsome, but with their obvious flirting and the strange poses they were making, Lucy couldn't help but stare bemusedly at them. One of the boys was classically handsome with luscious locks of dirty blond hair, while the darker haired boy with incredibly tan skin was looking away like he wasn't interested at all. "Man, this just isn't the same without Eve. Why'd that kid have to be a year younger than us?"

"We just have to deal with it," the blond answered tiredly. He then suddenly knelt down on one knee before Lucy. "My snowflake, my name is Hibiki. May I ask yours?"

"Um…Lucy," she said, deciding there was no harm in offering that piece of information.

"That's a beautiful name…I guess," the darker haired boy said, still not looking her in the eye. The boys' shtick was starting to get on her nerves a little. "Ren."

"Okay…" The boys remained in front of her, like they wanted her to say something, but she wasn't sure _what_ to say at all. Seconds later, she was spared the agony of having to.

"You boys should be ashamed of yourselves!" called a smooth voice. Lucy blinked and turned her head to see an older boy with long, green hair approach the three. "Flinging yourself at women like they're conquests…I'm appalled, honestly. Milady, I hope they didn't offend you."

"Not really." Lucy was starting to get confused at this point to even respond in more than one-to-two word sentences. The green-haired boy smiled softly with his eyes closed and Lucy began to get the inkling that he looked familiar. He then offered a hand to her.

"If it please you, milady, would you agree to a dance with me?" He continued smiling, looking almost charming and far politer than any of the other boys she knew. Lucy smiled back and took the hand graciously.

"Certainly," she answered and the two walked off, leaving Hibiki and Ren speechless. A song was starting and Lucy put her hands in position. The boy seemed to be versed in dance etiquette as well. "I'm afraid I didn't get your name."

"Fried," he said graciously. "Fried Justine."

"Well, thank you, Fried," Lucy giggled out. "I wasn't sure how to deal with all that."

"Just helping out a fellow band member," Fried answered kindly. Lucy nodded her head, finally remembering where she'd seen the boy: he was the section leader of the saxophones. "The Trimens aren't bad people, simply overzealous when it comes to wooing women."

"With a silver tongue like that, I can't imagine you being half bad yourself at that."

"If I were interested," Fried responded. Lucy wasn't certain how she was supposed to interpret that, though she wasn't left much time to contemplate it. "I simply read a lot. You can blame that for my fancy vernacular. I've been told it drives my friends a little crazy."

"I think it's nice," she told him. She didn't say it was because she usually spent time with Natsu whose vocabulary was mostly limited to food and musical terms. The song finally finished, replaced with a rock song. Fried stepped away and offered a light bow before retreating. It had been a nice dance…admittedly the nicest one she had during the whole entirety of the Winter Formal.

She had lots of requests, though. From the clearly dogged Hibiki and Ren to Warren and even Elfman, though he just thought it was fun and manly. Admittedly, dancing with Elfman _was_ fun (not so much the manly part); he was clearly a guy who just wanted to have a good time and had no ulterior motive. Dancing with Gray, on the other hand, was terrifying since she was half-afraid that Juvia would snipe her in the back of the head at any moment. After that, Lucy took a break from dancing. She was hungry and her feet were killing her. So, she sat back and watched the others dance while she nibbled on a cookie. Lisanna appeared to have gotten her dance with Natsu, but considering he was halfway into a fight with Gray (who was actually with Juvia), neither girl had their intended desire fulfilled. Mira was somewhere in the crowd with Fried by the looks of it. The funniest sights had to be Erza, who was twirling every boy to death, and Levy and Gajeel, who were dancing while refusing to look each other in the eye.

"Not out there dancing, Lucy?" Cana asked as she approached the refreshments table. "I'd have thought you'd dance with every guy considering how some of them have been looking at you."

"And I would have thought you'd be drunk as a skunk, but it looks like we're both wrong," Lucy retorted.

"Still have time for that," Cana snickered while pulling a flask from her cleavage and pouring it into her cup. Lucy shook her head and finished off her cookie. Staring into the crowd, she noticed Natsu break out of it desperately and make his way over to the both of them.

"Keep clear of that demon," Natsu warned them, jerking his thumb back at Erza. Cana laughed at the sentiment and walked off while Natsu scarfed a cookie down. Once he'd had two or three more, he turned to Lucy in contentment. "Did you know you look like one of those silver Christmas trees, Lucy?"

"Boy, Natsu, you really know how to make a girl's heart skip beats," Lucy told her best friend sarcastically. Overhead, another slow song began to start. Lucy recognized it and began humming along to it. As she did so, she watched various couples forming on the dance floor, and the blonde was hit with the sudden urge to dance. "Let's dance."

"Huh? But I'm not-"

"Shut up and dance with me, Natsu," Lucy insisted. The pink-haired boy shut his mouth and allowed Lucy to drag him onto the dance floor. He looked so lost and confused, so Lucy guided his hands into the correct places and began to lead him. She quickly learned why he didn't want to dance: he was horrible at it.

"I never cared to learn," Natsu pouted with a light blush of embarrassment on his cheeks. "I can march and play music. Dancing's not my thing."

"That's okay. Just follow my lead, then," Lucy said. Natsu, for all his boisterousness, allowed her to. "Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of dancing either."

"But you're so good at it…"

"That's because I had to be," Lucy told him. "Who knows? Maybe I just didn't enjoy it because I didn't have the right partner…Guess I'll have to wait a little longer for that."

The song, and the Formal it seemed, ended shortly after. It was the first time in years that Lucy came home from a dance with a smile on her face.

* * *

 _Spring, Seventh Grade_

"I'm not so sure this is a great idea, Natsu," Lucy commented. She wasn't used to feeling so nervous, but staring up at the tavern in front of her filled her with dread. Though she had formally received the invitation message months ago, her nerves had prevented her from actually going here until Natsu's insistence broke it down. He turned to her with his hands behind his head.

"Aw, come on, Lucy! You know most of the people here, anyway," Natsu assured her. Not that it was the most reassuring statement, so Lucy cast her mind around for a topic that would stall them entering the building.

"Why didn't Wendy come with us? It's open to all ages, right?"

"Because Wendy's not stepping foot inside a bar until she turns fifteen!" Natsu insisted. His streak of overprotectiveness for his little sister was so endearing that it brought a smile to her face. "Mom and I agreed to that, and dad's just a slacker. Now, stop stalling."

"Fine!" she snapped, thought it sounded more like a whine. Lucy still refused to move until Natsu groaned and grabbed her arm to begin dragging her inside. When they finally crossed over the threshold, he let go and Lucy finally got her first glimpse of the inside of Macao's Tavern. Lucy didn't have much knowledge of bars but it seemed to be a comfortable place. Like Natsu had said, there were a lot of familiar faces chatting about, along with some older customers that appeared to be giving the kids a wide berth.

"Natsu! It's been a while!" called a young boy that was striding over to Natsu. He had ruffled black hair and a wide grin that was eerily reminiscent of Natsu's. The boy also noticed Lucy. "This is Lucy, huh? I'm Romeo. My dad owns the place."

"Romeo's a year below us. Plays clarinet," Natsu explained.

"Like your sister, then," Lucy said, feeling the tension within her finally start to ease.

"Somethin' like that," Natsu chuckled. "All right, let's get a drink!" He hardly waited for her consent to drag her over to the bar where he sat down. Makarov was sitting on the bar, drinking a pint of beer while Lucy took a seat next to Natsu. Seconds after, a man who looked like Romeo, but with purple hair, appeared in front of them.

"The usual, I presume," he offered to Natsu. Said boy's face lit up with childlike glee. The man turned his attention to Lucy. "What'll it be for you, miss?"

"Um…" Lucy stuttered out, her hands scrambling nervously for a menu.

"I'd suggest the strawberry milkshake," a voice on her other side said. Lucy looked up to catch sight of a smiling Fried. "I prefer vanilla, but you seem like a strawberry girl."

"Oh, you've already met Fried?" Natsu asked when he got his glass of soda…which was on fire. How it hadn't exploded was beyond her.

"We met at the Winter Formal," Lucy explained, just as a plate of flaming chicken arrived. "We haven't spoken since then."

"Fried, will you hurry up?" called a bossy female; Lucy recognized her as the section leader of the Tubas.

"My apologies, Evergreen," Fried chuckled out. "Good to see you again, Lucy." He retreated shortly after, rejoining the girl and another boy with black-blue hair.

"The Thunder Legion," Natsu told her informatively. "That's the three of them: Fried, Bickslow, and Evergreen. They're Laxus' self-appointed bodyguards. Nice enough guys, even if they work for a scumbag like Laxus."

"Natsu, I wouldn't call Laxus a scumbag when he's less that ten feet away from you," Lucy chided her friend. Natsu looked to the side, likely at Laxus, and from the way his eyes were moving, the blond was coming over to them.

"I'd listen to your girlfriend, Natsu," Laxus snarled. Lucy turned on her chair to look up at the towering eighth grader. "And don't make fun of the Thunder Legion."

"I wasn't, Lightning Rod. I was trying to insult you," Natsu clarified, attempting to take a bite of his chicken. Laxus angrily slammed his fist on the counter, causing the plate to jump and send the chicken tumbling to the floor. Natsu slowly turned, a fury burning in his eyes. Knowing just what was going to happen, Lucy sprung up and put herself between the two boys.

"Cut it out, before either you or someone else gets hurt," Lucy tried to argue.

"Stop butting into other people's business, girl!" Laxus snapped. Lucy's face scrunched into one of utter incredulity.

"Excuse me?" she questioned angrily.

"Ever since you made pals with Natsu, here, you have this annoying tendency to butt your nose into everyone else's lives," Laxus told her, all while looking down at her. "You're not one of us, so what business do you have getting involved? It's annoying."

"Shut it!" Natsu yelled, his voice echoing around the tavern and drawing all eyes to him. "Don't say a word against Lucy!"

"Why don't you make me?" Natsu would have, judging from his body language, if Makarov hadn't chucked two empty beer mugs that hit the boys squarely on their heads.

"You insufferable brats!" the older man yelled, downing his pint and sliding it over to the owner for an apparent refill. "Laxus, apologize to Lucy, right now!"

"Why?" the blond asked, finally pulling away from Natsu. "She's not one of us. She's just a little girl who doesn't know when to shut up."

"What the hell, Laxus?" Gray yelled. The older drummer continued to stalk off angrily. For her part, Lucy felt tears beginning to form on her eyelashes. Even when her father would yell at her, his words never hurt as much as Laxus' did. Shakily, she finished raising herself from her chair and began to walk towards the exit.

"Sorry…This was clearly a mistake," she whispered. Natsu called after her, but she ignored him, desperate to get out of there and dry her tears in peace. Along the way, she felt her feet begin to give out and she fell into someone's arms who was also holding a handkerchief to her.

"Hey, now, don't worry about it," her savior from the wood floor said. "Laxus just doesn't have a filter. No one here thinks that way of you."

"But…but he…" Lucy was glad the sobs were only whispers and that this girl, with her motherly touch and voice, was the only one able to hear it. She still couldn't see who was helping her through the tears and decided to wipe them up with the handkerchief.

" _He_ is a jerk. If anyone doesn't belong here, it's him," the girl continued saying quietly. "I mean, I don't even know you and I can tell you're one of us."

"Do…do you need any help, B-Bisca?" muttered a more masculine voice next to her.

"N-no. I'm fine, and I'm sure Lucy's fine, too. Th-thanks, Alzack."

"No p-problem." The boy shuffled away as Lucy was pulled up to her feet and finally got a good look at the girl named Bisca without all the tears in the way. She was a much older girl with long green hair tied into a ponytail and capped off with a cowboy hat. The boy who had spoken, now walking away, looked the same age as her, with short black hair. Bisca kindly guided Lucy over to a table with Levy and Lisanna.

"So, you're the famous Lucy we've all heard so much about," the girl said once they'd sat down. "I'm Bisca Moulin. I play the saxophone."

"You do? I…I don't think I've ever seen you before," Lucy said, trying to rein in the sniffles that had started from her tears. Bisca laughed lightly. Oddly enough, it didn't sound like a joking laugh, but a rather motherly one.

"That's because I'm in high school," Bisca informed her. "I'm part of the Magnolia Music Program and a proud member of Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked, but the question was answered with a laugh from Bisca and disgruntled faces from the other two girls. When Bisca stopped laughing, she offered a wink to Lucy.

"You'll find out when you're older."

"That's what you and gramps say every time we ask," Levy huffed, her arms crossed in a pout. "It's like a bad case of 'can't spit it out', just like you and Alzack."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Levy," Bisca insisted. Levy stifled her giggles behind her sleeves while Lisanna leaned in.

"Come on, Bisca, even Natsu can tell you like him, and he's about as dense as they come," the white-haired girl teased. Bisca flushed, her eyes flitting surreptitiously over to the black-haired boy that had offered to help earlier. "So, spill, has he asked you?"

"Ha ha…what…what a silly thing to say," Bisca laughed. Lucy could tell she was incredibly flustered and wished she could think of a way to change the conversation; not having any romantic interests made her about as interested in discussing this as she would be watching paint dry. "So, Lucy, it's great to meet you. Levy, Lisanna, Mirajane and Erza have had great things to say about you."

"I have too!" Cana yelled from the bar, where she was downing a whole pint without a second glance. "Lucy's cool. A great addition to our little band of misfits, no matter what Laxus says."

"I wouldn't call our group 'little' anymore," Levy expressed sheepishly. "We number more than twenty now."

"Point is, we're all happy to have you here," Bisca said simply. The older girl sat back and sipped on her soda. Lucy began to smile. Maybe this _hadn't_ been as bad an idea as she had imagined. Laxus was a jerk, sure, but everyone else was so warm and inviting in the strange family they'd created. Finally, she had a family. Sure, she still considered her dad to be her family, but this was so wonderful that Lucy couldn't shake that feeling of utter joy inside.

"Thank you," she said. The tears had come back to her eyes, this time for entirely different reasons. "You're right. I shouldn't worry about what Laxus said to me. In fact, I'll just have to prove that I'm a part of this group!"

"Sounds good to me." There really was something about Bisca that was just so comforting and maternal, it reminded Lucy of her own mother and the encouragement Layla would have given were she alive. She couldn't give up, even if it was Mr. Grumpy Pants Laxus in the way. She'd show him, just like Natsu would. Which, speaking of…

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy yelled across the tavern. The pinkette turned with a mouthful to chicken to face her. "How's that piece for the Ensemble Contest coming along?"

Natsu hastily swallowed and hopped on top of the bar stool he'd just been sitting on. At the same time, he whipped out a folder that was tucked inside the vest over his shirt. "I almost forgot…Guys, listen up!"

Natsu's voice, for whatever reason, compelled everyone in the tavern to turn and look at him. Staring at him from this distance, Lucy felt like he was brilliantly on fire; a phenomenal inspiration to everyone in the room. Well, almost everyone. Lucy fought down the heat in her cheeks while Macao scolded him with a, "Get off that barstool, Natsu!"

"Everyone, me and Gajeel are proud to present the piece our group will be performing at the Ensemble Preliminaries in February of next year: 'The Soaring Fairies'!" No one was really sure how to react to Natsu's proclamation, except for the members of their group who rose their symbol to the air at the unveiling of the sheet music. Makarov finished yet another drink.

"Is this supposed to be some sort of message to me, Natsu?" he questioned gruffly.

"Don't worry about it, gramps! You'll be letting all of us into the program sooner or later," Natsu insisted. Makarov frowned.

"You still have to actually make it through the preliminaries, idiot," Laxus challenged across the room. Lucy stood at the dare.

"We'll make it to the top," Lucy said clearly and loudly. Laxus' eyes narrowed, but the flutist felt that she couldn't back down this time. "You'll see. I'm going to make our group number one in all of Fiore!"

"That's right, Lucy!" Natsu cried out, finally hopping off the barstool. Near to him, Romeo was clapping loudly.

"I still think 'The Soaring Fairies' is a dumb name," Gajeel muttered. "Why can't we change it?"

"I didn't hear you coming up with any better ideas."

"That's 'cause you never listen, since your brain's so full of ash," Gajeel argued back, striding up to Natsu.

"Yeah, well, your brain's made of iron," Natsu countered, leaving the folder off to the side. "That must be why you're so stupid."

"Look who's talking! You wanna go?"

"Count me in on this!" Gray cried out, stripping his clothes off in record time, his shirt landing on Cana's head.

"Gray, your clothes," she remonstrated him before lazily returning to her drink.

"No time for that," the stripper insisted before diving into the fray. The bar brawl that followed was one of the most amusing things that Lucy had ever seen. She wasn't even exasperated at the violence, but her voice rang out with laughter until Erza broke them up with a vicious speed. Even then, Natsu never let the silly grin leave his face.

"We're gonna be number on in all Fiore!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

 _Summer, Eighth Grade_

The end of the year came much earlier than any of them had expected. Between winning regional contests and their final concert of the year, Lucy and her friends were kept busier than ever. This was compounded by a never-ending flood of homework and the practices their group had begun on Natsu and Gajeel's stellar piece. On top of this were the year-end auditions. Naturally, Erza, Mira and Cana were moving on to high school (along with Laxus, but Lucy didn't care enough about him), and they were practically a shoo-in for the program. Nevertheless, the audition results brought a rather surprising change to Lucy.

"You're section leader, Lu-chan!" Levy cheered upon seeing her friend's name at the top of the list. "First chair! That's awesome!" Lucy herself could hardly believe it, and had a huge moment of self-doubt as to whether or not she'd be as good a section leader as Mira had been. Sure, she had been practicing all year, but this was a development she hadn't expected.

If anything, however, this news pushed Lucy to get even better, and when the group would join up to practice, she'd be at the forefront with Natsu in making it perfect. One such summer day in the dead heat of mid-July, Lucy was waiting for everyone to come over, including Wendy, who would be staying the night.

"You've been very busy this summer, Lucy," her father said on his way to the door. Lucy smiled at him, but the smile faded at his appearance. She had no idea of the goings on inside the company, but her father certainly wasn't looking well…hadn't been looking well. Capricorn wouldn't tell her anything, either. "Good. That's good. One should always keep themselves busy."

"Dad?" Lucy called out, surprising even herself. Jude turned to his daughter with puzzlement written all over his face. "Are you…all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be, Lucy?" he asked, laughing the matter off.

"Um…well, you've been really busy, and I don't see you much," Lucy stated, twiddling her fingers. "And…and when I do see you, you don't look well." Jude's eyes creased themselves into a squint before he put a comforting hand on Lucy's head.

"I'm fine, Lucy. You just focus on what you need to," he told her kindly. That hardly assuaged the blonde's fears as her father left the house. It wasn't like she expected him to be this lovey-dovey, doting parent; he never had been before and she certainly didn't expect it now. Heck, her father hadn't even found the time to come to a concert or contest of hers. Lucy could forgive that, but she couldn't forgive him lying to her about his health. He must have been exhausted, that was the conclusion Lucy came to. It was the only reasonable explanation for why he was so pale, and his breathing was heavy. Worst case scenario, Jude Heartfilia was a heart attack just waiting to happen. Lucy didn't want to think that way, but all through that day's practice, she couldn't push it away. Not that it affected her performance, she was happy to say.

"You guys were so good!" Wendy cheered while clapping. "I can't wait for next year to begin."

"That's right, you'll be in school with us," Lucy commented while the two of them went up to her room. "I hope you make a good chair. You'll have lots of fun."

"Yeah. My friend Chelia says it's lots of fun, too," Wendy said, almost tripping on the top stair but letting the banister break her fall.

"Chelia, huh? Must be Sherry's cousin. I think she'll be second under Juvia," the blonde mused thoughtfully. She could hardly remember the list, or the _very_ few conversations she'd ever had with Sherry, and decided to end the topic there. Lucy pushed the door to her room open and practically screamed.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Natsu asked seriously, sitting firmly on her desk chair.

"For starters, you're in my room!" she screeched. Before he could say anything else, Lucy covered Wendy's eyes and aimed a well-placed kick at her brother's face. Despite getting hit by it, Natsu seemed unfazed.

"You were off during practice today…not as fired up as usual," he said just as seriously as he'd asked the question. Lucy paused in her next kick and blinked. "Don't keep it bottled. We all care about you."

"It's nothing, Natsu. Just personal issues," Lucy said with a smile. She was surprised that he had even noticed.

"Well, if you need to talk, just ask. My ears are always open. I don't like it when you make me worry," Natsu admitted with a scratch of his cheek.

"Thanks, Natsu…" she told him softly. She could practically feel Wendy grinning behind her. It was sweet of Natsu to worry, and knowing that she had made him do so helped her to push any ill thoughts away. "Now, get out of my room!"

Natsu scrambled to avoid Lucy's wrath and the blonde turned to the younger girl once her brother had vanished out her window. "My brother's a sweet guy, isn't he?"

Lucy just smiled, staring at the spot where he'd left. "Yeah…he is."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Six chapters in and we finally have the first mention of Fairy Tail in a Fairy Tail story. Not as bad as Measures, but hey, I think that's almost impressive. So, like I said last time, quite a bit of filler with a little plot progression. I enjoyed bringing in new characters gradually. The next character dump is in high school. On that note, next chapter is the long awaited ensemble contest. We're speeding towards freshman year and the introduction of everyone' favorite villain (in my story at least). That said, thanks to all who have favorited, followed and reviewed. Until next time, please Review and**


	7. Chapter 7

**Gah! I can't belive that the anime went on hiatus again! The sadness this fills me with…Ah well, this story isn't on hiatus and is going strong forevermore (or at least, you know, until it's done). So, let's ready Chapter 7!**

* * *

Chapter 7

 _Autumn, Eighth Grade_

Fall arrived, and with it, school began once again. Starting eighth grade felt strange for more than one reason, not the least of which was Lucy being section leader for the flutes. After being second to Levy for two years, suddenly being in charge felt beyond weird for the blonde. This was only compounded by those students that were missing, due to having graduated. Lucy had spent so much time with Erza and Mira, had watched Cana drink so many bottles, had seen Laxus glare at her with disdain so many times, that not having them there felt suddenly strange. Then there were some new additions to the family, like Romeo, who had managed to get into the top band like the rest of them. Wendy also finally arrived at Magnolia Middle School, although Lucy didn't catch much sight of her outside of dinner with the Dragneels.

Speaking of the Dragneels, Lucy started to find herself spending more time there than she did at her own house. She wasn't the only one. After a number of protests, their group had transformed from "ensemble group" to "study group", and more often than not, they met at the Dragneel house. Lucy was grateful for it; her father had been growing more distant, if he was home at all. When he was home, he tended to take dinner in his study, so Lucy barely saw him. When asking Capricorn, the mild-mannered butler simply responded that her father was expanding his company. The young flutist tried looking into it online, but all she could find was some article on a competitor called Orlando Aeronautics.

The biggest shock came two weeks into school. Sixth grade postings had gone up and Natsu and Lucy had gone with Wendy to check her placement. Unsurprisingly, the bluenette had earned herself first chair of the clarinets. She started hopping off gleefully, while Natsu, of all people, tried to rein in his sister's current craziness. Lucy was more focused on the strange post next to the chair placements.

"Yajima's retiring?" Natsu asked incredulously on their walk back to his house. Lucy had to hold an exuberant Wendy back from walking into the middle of the road. "But why? I thought he loved teaching band."

"Don't look at me. I'm just telling you what I saw," Lucy said, folding her arms across her ever-ample chest. She really couldn't wait for puberty to end. "Maybe he's retiring because of you guys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu asked, almost sounding offended. Lucy offered him a quick wink to show she was teasing him, but it only made him pout further.

"I don't know…you and Gray seem to start trouble every other week," she said with a slight snicker. "Maybe he got tired of all your antics. It's a wonder I haven't yet."

"Hey! That's 'cause we're best friends!" Natsu countered. Wendy's head was turning with every person talking, and Lucy was forced to turn her own head so that it could stay focused on the road.

"And I ask myself how every day," Lucy replied. Before Natsu could figure out just what she was saying, Lucy grabbed Wendy's hand and the two girls ran forward, not stopping until they were inside the Dragneel residence.

The next day's band practice was interrupted by all sorts of questions flying Mr. Yajima's way. They only ended when he sent a death glare cascading around the band. Natsu, Gray, and Elfman, who were easily the most vocal, shut their mouths the second they saw that. Yajima sighed and moved his conductor's stand aside so that he could sit and still be seen.

"Yes, I'm retiring," Yajima said plainly. "I'm an old man who just can't keep up with you youngsters anymore."

"Oh, come on!" Natsu said in pure exasperation. "Gramps isn't retiring yet, so why should you?"

"That's because Macky is a stubborn old goat who doesn't know how to quit while he's ahead!" Yajima snapped. "I'd like to enjoy the golden years of my life and pursue some other passions of mine, like cooking."

"But…what's gonna happen to the band program?" Lisanna asked. She sounded depressed and Lucy felt her tone was a reflection of how they all probably felt. Yajima gave a chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'm staying until the end of the year. After that, the program's undergoing some changes as they reduce three bands for seventh and eighth down to two grade-segmented bands, but everything will mostly continue as normal." Everyone appeared to give a collective sigh at Yajima's depressing words. Lucy herself was staring at her music stand dejectedly. She couldn't believe that Yajima was actually leaving. Not that it would really matter to her when she moved into high school, but the news alone was depressing enough.

Then, Natsu opened his mouth.

"If it can't be helped, then it can't be helped," he yelled. Lucy refrained from smacking herself at his outburst and opted for just looking at him like everyone else. "But we're not lettin' ya go out quietly, Mr. Yajima."

"You never do, Natsu…" Yajima said in what appeared to be amusement.

"That's right! We're gonna make you proud one last time!" Natsu declared, throwing their group's sign into the air. "We're gonna win the upcoming ensemble contest and be number one. That'll make you proud, right?"

"Yes, Natsu…yes it would."

Conviction in that moment was all well and good, but each member of their ensemble felt the keen sting of depression surrounding Yajima's departure at practice that evening. They all wanted to reach being number one, sure, but that evening they just couldn't get themselves to do _anything_ , let alone practice, a fact which did not go unnoticed by Mira (they were at the Strauss household, after all). She tried to prod them for information, but even after liberally teasing Juvia about Gray, was unable to get a single comment from anyone. Lucy felt they may as well have been vegetables.

Once the initial shock wore off, the group resumed practicing in earnest, like a fire had been lit underneath them. After a few more weeks passed, the papers for the Solo and Ensemble Contest finally arrived. Lucy was one of the first to grab a copy for the entire group. Soloists were more lax about it, considering they just had their performance in February and that was it. On the other hand, as an ensemble performance, February was just preliminaries for them to get into the main competition. Thus it was, that weekend found Lucy and Lisanna at the Magnolia Heartfilia Manor, filling the forms out diligently.

"So…I was thinking of confessing to Natsu," Lisanna said suddenly, ironically as Lucy was writing Natsu's name down on the forms. The blonde stopped and looked up at her friend. She was blushing horribly, almost like she was embarrassed that she had said it aloud. "After the contest in May, of course."

"That's great!" Lucy said, smiling at her friend. Lisanna exhaled in relief.

"Oh, good, I'm glad you think so," Lisanna replied tremulously. "It's just…you're like his best friend and I wouldn't want to intrude or step on any toes."

"Lisanna," Lucy said, staring sternly at the girl she was addressing, "you are my friend, too. I want you to be just as happy as anyone, and if Natsu does that for you, then I say go for it. You two would make a cute couple."

"You mean…you and Natsu…you've never…" For a very brief moment, Lucy was genuinely confused about just what Lisanna was implying. When she finally got it, she let out a sudden laugh, like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"No! Absolutely not!" Lucy said, unable to get her guffawing under control. "I mean, he's my best friend, other than you, Levy and Juvia, and he's great, but I have never once entertained the notion of dating him. I'm not even interested in relationships."

"Oh…" Lisanna said, the expression on her face looking utterly sheepish. "Well, it's nice to know I have your 'blessing'. What do you think the others would say?"

"They'd probably tell you to go for it, too," Lucy answered, resuming her part of the paperwork. She paused a brief moment in order to speak with Lisanna seriously. "Just don't tell your sister. Her rumor mill will make sure it reaches everyone in days. Don't tell the guys, either."

"I didn't plan to," Lisanna giggled out. "Knowing our group of dense guys, they wouldn't understand it anyway."

"Tell me about it. Juvia would think you're after Gray, Gajeel would be all surly, your brother would call it manly and Warren…well…uh, I think he'd despair about the potential of losing his 'eye candy'. He's such a pervert." Lisanna doubled over in laughter and Lucy joined her until she heard a creaking of the door. Tears of mirth still in her eyes, Lucy turned to see her father there, staring down at her in slight amusement. "Dad!"

"I see you're having a good time, Lucy," he said. Lucy bounced up to greet her father. Like he had during the summer, he wasn't looking well: the lines on his face were tighter and his blond hair had some flecks of gray in it. "What are you girls up to?"

"Filling out the application for the upcoming Ensemble Contest," Lucy chirped happily. "You want to help us?"

"Sorry, Lucy, but I have some calls to make from my office. You understand, right?" Of course, she understood, but she hated it, too. Lucy felt she was really grasping at straws if she considered a fun family activity to be filling out forms. Jude appeared to take her silence as assent and he left the room. Lucy turned back to her papers with a huff.

"You okay, Lucy?" Lisanna asked in concern. Lucy breathed in before plastering a smile on her lips; she wasn't going to make her friend worry about problems that were hers and hers alone.

"Yeah! Let's finish filling these forms out!" Lisanna clearly didn't believe her for a second, but didn't push the issue. Lucy was grateful for the understanding and empathy. About an hour later, they finally finished the forms off and Lisanna bid farewell to the blonde flutist. Lucy returned to her room and flung herself on her bed. Before she knew it, she began crying into her pillow. Why was her father so stubborn? She hated feeling so helpless as she watched him work himself ragged, yet she knew that he'd never accept any help…especially from her of all people. A chime sounded from Lucy's nightstand and her hand shot out to grab for her phone blindly. Once she had it in her hand, she raised her head to look at the bright screen in the darkened room.

 _You okay?_ Lucy blinked the tears away at the text from Natsu. Another quickly followed. _Lis said you sad._

 _All right. Thx for caring._

And she truly was grateful. The next week at school, she turned the forms in to show that gratitude. Finally, the culmination of all their practice since sixth grade was coming to a head.

* * *

 _Winter, Eighth Grade_

That winter in Magnolia had proven to be a relatively mild one. Little snow fell that season and the weather was apparently warmer than usual, although it did result in more rain. Not that this hindered Lucy and her friends in practicing whenever they weren't buried in homework. Everything took a backseat to those preparations. At the monthly meetings in the tavern, Cana had called it unhealthy.

"I'm just saying," she defended her position when they threw her incredulous looks. "You guys keep going like this and you'll drop dead before the competition even gets here."

"Then we'll just bring ourselves back from the dead to play it," Natsu insisted. Cana indicated how little she cared by taking a sip from her bottle. Meanwhile, Erza had approached Natsu, Lucy, and Gray from behind and brought them in a great bear hug.

"Well, I think it's admirable," she announced gladly. Lucy would have been happy to hear such praise if Natsu's face wasn't being shoved into her chest in the most embarrassing way possible. The others around the bar just laughed, oblivious to the torture that the three eighth graders were undergoing. Not that it made the meeting any less fun.

Actually, were Lucy to think about it, most of winter actually turned out to be fun. Another Winter Formal arrived, and the girls decided to go as a group again. Gajeel didn't attend this time, claiming he wanted to help his dad with something, but Lucy wasn't sure if she could believe that claim. Once again, Lucy was hit on by Ren and the previously missing member of the Trimens, Eve; and once again, she danced with more boys than her feet could handle, including an incredibly flushed Romeo. She even had a younger boy from the trumpets section confess to her. She turned him down gently.

There was also their concert and a contest before the first half of the year came to a close. Like Mira before, Lucy found she was actually able to lead her section with grace. Most of the girls enjoyed her presence and came to her for advice, which Lucy was happy to give. As February inched closer, so too did the group's number of fans within the band.

"Seriously, Lu-chan," Levy laughed out over lunch one day. She lifted her book up as Elfman threw a potato that went wildly off course and skittered over the edge of their table. Natsu, Gray and Elfman were going at it like always, still confounding Lucy as to how the teachers hadn't said anything yet. "I'm pretty sure that next to everyone is coming out to the preliminaries."

"Don't they have anything better to do? Like solos?" Lucy commented pointedly, leveling her look at her best girl friend. Levy laughed nervously and his behind her book. It was no secret that the bluenette had signed up for a solo performance since she wasn't a part of their group.

"I think it's kinda nice to have all the support," Lisanna admitted. "I mean, we are up against some ensemble groups from across the country. Having a little moral support isn't the worst thing."

"I'm not really mad about it," Lucy confessed, not wanting to confuse anyone on her feelings. "I just don't understand why so many people want to support us instead of doing their own ensemble performance."

"Juvia doesn't know why her group's performance is so popular, but Juvia likes it!" the other bluenette said cheerily, while continuing to stare at a half-naked Gray no less. Lucy couldn't help her sigh; she had the wackiest friends, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

When the fateful day finally arrived at the end of the first week in February, it came in as a gray, rainy mess that would have drenched Lucy's dress were it not for Capricorn's industrial sized umbrella. Thankfully, Capricorn had escorted her to the Dragneel house where she would join the whole family on the trip to Onibus, where the preliminaries were being held. Of course, going with them also meant getting embarrassed by them.

"Closer together," Grandine instructed, making Natsu and Lucy practically touch each other. Eventually, Natsu decided he didn't care and he threw an arm around her as Grandine took a picture. "It's not often I get to see my son all dressed up and going places. You look rather lovely, too, Lucy."

"Come on, family," Igneel said from the door to the garage, "we've gotta get going if we want to get there on time."

"Don't forget your patch, Natsu!" Wendy reminded her brother, handing him said patch. Lucy smiled at her thoughtfulness; she'd long since learned of Natsu's unfortunate weakness for moving vehicles. Once Natsu had affixed his Troia patch, the family piled into the car, with Wendy between Natsu and Lucy, and they set off through the rain for Onibus.

When they arrived, both the musicians were astonished at just how bustling the concert hall was. For a simple contest, there were students running to and from the parking lot, with some parents escorting their children while others waved them away by their cars. That was just the outside. Once they got inside, Lucy could only marvel at the grand design and architecture of the concert hall; she had never been in such a fancy one. She felt she wasn't the only one to be grateful at such an opportunity for a mere preliminary, not with the sheer amount of students. Some were obvious soloists, just there for the day, while others were hanging around in groups more casually.

"Close your mouth, dear, or you'll get flies in it," said a callous voice. Lucy looked around and saw that it was a girl with silver hair, brushing her way past Lucy rather rudely. The blonde scowled, realizing that the insult was clearly aimed at her. "And don't stand in other people's way, either."

"Maybe you should pay attention to where you're going," Lucy snapped. The girl stopped and turned back to Lucy, her eyes flashing dangerously. Lucy finally got a good look at the girl, finding her feather-lined dress to be unnecessarily gaudy. "Then again, with a dress like that, it must be hard to walk, let alone do anything else. So, why would you be here?"

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" cackled another voice. Both Lucy and the girl in front of her turned their heads to the newcomer, each drawing a look of revulsion on their faces at his appearance. "She got you good, Angel."

"Shut up, Zancrow!" the girl, Angel, snapped irritably. "Ugh, you're such a creep…And you! What's your name?"

"Lucy Heartfilia," Lucy said confidently. Her eyes briefly drifted down to the flute case in Angel's hand, obviously realizing their similarities at the same time she did.

"Well, Lucy dear," she drawled sardonically, "solo or ensemble?"

"Ensemble," Lucy stated quickly. Somewhere behind her, she could hear Natsu departing from the rest of his family. Angel gave a tinkling laugh that hardly sounded joyous. From this brief minute, Lucy decided that while she didn't hate the girl, she didn't like her, either. "What school are you with?"

"Oración Seis School of the Performing Arts," she answered smugly. "What of yourself? I don't think I've seen you here before."

Lucy straightened her back and answered confidently, "Magnolia Middle School."

"So, you're one of those kids, huh?" Zancrow interrupted. He stood from where he was and brought his face close to Lucy and Angel. The two, Lucy supposed they were, rivals shared a brief look of displeasure between each other. Up close, Zancrow looked like he had more than a few screws loose. "You're one of those fairies?"

"Better than being a devil," Natsu finally interrupted. His drumsticks came in between the girls and pushed Zancrow's face away. Said boy looked at Lucy's best friend angrily.

"Who are you?" he snapped angrily. Natsu stood back with a smirk.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel!" he said proudly. "I'm the drummer for Magnolia Middle School's best ensemble."

"Is that so, pinky? How about we make a wager, then, about who does better," Zancrow taunted. Lucy saw where it was going before it even happened, and she was able to step back before Natsu charged in and got in Zancrow's face. Angel wasn't as fast and let out an audible "blegh" as they did so.

"I don't do bets when I know I'm going to win, Zacrow."

"So, you've heard of me? And it's Zancrow," the shaggy blond boy corrected him fiercely.

"You'll be no one, once Magnolia wins the ensemble." Lucy sighed, deciding it was about time to drag Natsu away from making any trouble. Angel, likewise, looked incredibly bored.

"Will you two hollering monkeys shut up," another new voice said. "You can be heard all over the lobby…"

"You see what happens when you spend a long time in the bathroom, Erik?" Angel said, obviously recognizing the owner of the voice. Lucy watched as this Erik walked around them and grabbed onto one of the feather boas attached to Angel's dress.

"Like you're one to talk, Sorano. And it's Cobra," Erik, or Cobra, or whatever, reprimanded her. He then started dragging her away irritably, though she looked equally annoyed. "Now, let's go, the others are waiting."

"Well, don't pull on my dress," Angel told him. Before she made to follow, she turned back to Lucy. "Lucy, dear, do try to make it through the preliminaries. I'd hate to not have the opportunity to place over you in the actual competition."

"And I'd hate to see you trip before then because your nose is too stuck in the air," Lucy shot back. Angel then scoffed and offered a departing wave. Now it just left Lucy to deal with the two hotheads when she could barely handle even one. Reaching over once more to grab Natsu away, she was suddenly saved any complications by an announcement made over the speakers.

"Next is Grimoire Prep's Ensemble group known as The Kin. Will that group now come to Waiting Room C?"

"Looks like we'll finish this another time, pinky," Zancrow flung at him with another deadly smirk. Seconds later, Lucy saw him fading away into the crowd. Natsu stood there, fuming, for a few more seconds before he finally relaxed.

"Stupid private school kids…" he muttered angrily once he'd done so. "They think they're so much better just because they're 'specialized'? I mean, come on, Magnolia's ten times better than them."

"So, you know them, then?" Lucy asked. Quite frankly, she was surprised as she'd never even heard mention of them.

"I know _of_ them. Those two were from the favorites for the ensemble competition this year. I guess they cleared the preliminaries last year when they competed in seventh grade: Grimoire Prep and the Oración Seis School for the Performing Arts. They're private schools down south that are sort of like an alliance, but they absolutely hate each other."

"How exactly is it that you know so much?" Lucy asked. After all, he'd never divulged or even hinted at this information once before. Natsu shrugged.

"I've done my research."

"Research? Natsu Dragneel doing research? And here I thought you did everything without thinking," Lucy teased.

"Hey, I've been planning this thing since before I even met you. Just ask Wendy," Natsu told her, a small pout on his lips. "Of course I had Grandine do the appropriate research."

"That sounds more like it," Lucy joked with a little wink towards her best friend.

"Hey, Magma Breath! Hurry up!"

"Stop whining, Snowman! And put a freaking shirt on. I'm not getting disqualified because of your freaky stripping habits," Natsu yelled towards Gray. The dark-haired trumpet player was with the rest of their group, looking just as miffed at Natsu as ever…and as half-naked as ever. Naturally, at his insults, Natsu was on his way over and things returned to normal. Lucy followed after and joined up with Lisanna and Juvia while the boys entered into an all-out brawl.

"You guys ready?" Lucy asked. Lisanna gave a thumbs up while Juvia nodded silently. The blonde realized that it was the wait which would be killer, and she entertained herself by watching the boys argue. At some point, she was distracted by Levy's arrival, fresh off her solo performance, as she stopped by to say she was rooting for them. She left only briefly to check the results for her own performance. "How'd you do?"

"First, of course," Levy said, tacking on her own wink. "Wait 'til I tell Jet and Droy. I swear, they'll probably buy a whole store out of flowers."

"So, the shrimp got first," Gajeel said. Levy glared at him. "Nice job."

"Yeah…Good luck to you, too, Gajeel," she responded. Her encouragement was well-timed as the ensemble was called.

"Here we go, guys. Let's make Magnolia proud!" Natsu roared. Their group raised their symbol into the air and then Natsu led them in a surge forward. "I'm all fired up now!"

Moments later, they were seated in one of the larger auditoriums. Despite the large number of people, Lucy didn't feel the slightest bit of apprehension. All she felt was exactly what everyone else must have been feeling: determination and pride. The audience didn't matter. The judges didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the instrument in her hands, and the notes before her eyes. Knowing that, she smiled and the ensemble began to play.

Ten minutes later, they were finished. Per the judges' request, the audience refrained from applauding. The ensemble members even avoided looking at one another, not wanting to give away any show of weakness. Instead, they were relegated to watching the judges continue to make notes on the master score that Natsu had given to Lucy, who had submitted it with the application. After a torturous few moments, the lead judge finally leaned in towards his microphone.

"Thank you for your performance," he told them. "Results of the preliminary will be posted in mid-March on the contest's website. If you are chosen to move forward, instructions will be given then."

That was truly the best they could hope for, and their group left the stage. Surprising for them was that no one was saying anything, not even Natsu. Lucy had a feeling that the same thought was on all of their minds: the wait for mid-March was going to be a _long_ wait.

* * *

 _Spring, Eighth Grade_

"Refresh," Natsu said sternly. "Refresh."

"I am refreshing, Lava Brain!" Gray snapped to his best friend. He also swiveled away from the computer screen he and Natsu were in front of to try and hit the pinkette.

"Well, you're not refreshing fast enough, Snowflake!"

"Natsu, Gray, if you're going to fight, take it outside," commanded the baritone voice of Gray's father, Silver. "Juvia, Lucy, could you help Mika with the party trays?"

"Of course, Mr. Fullbuster," Lucy replied. Juvia appeared too embarrassed to say anything, forcing Lucy to drag her off into the kitchen. When they arrived, it was to find Mirajane helping Gray's mother arrange the party trays. It was no surprise; everyone from the tavern except for Romeo and Laxus plus the Thunder Legion, was over at the Fullbuster house (including Wendy) in the hopes that they would have cleared the ensemble preliminaries. That was the only reason that Natsu and Gray were so busy squabbling in front of the computer: they were way too antsy to find the results. "Here to help."

"Almost…done!" Mira announced, placing the last piece of cheese on the tray. Lucy bent down and picked the extravagant tray up, though not before sneaking a few pieces of cheese into her mouth. She then turned around and Mika held the door for Lucy so she could bring the tray into the living room. Most of the boys pounced on it instantly while Lucy grabbed what she could on a tiny plate and flung herself in between Wendy and Erza on the couch. Natsu and Gray were still arguing furiously in front of the computer, though they quickly changed their tune when Erza would look over.

"I'm telling you," Cana was saying loudly to Bisca, the alcohol making her a loud drunk today, "he is a fine specimen of a man."

"And you're saying that it doesn't bother you that he's been with how many girls?" Bisca questioned, her eyebrow raised.

"Aw, you just think that way 'cause you're such a prude, Bisca," Cana said, waving her bottle at the green-haired girl. Bisca probably would have responded, but Gray was far louder than any potential remonstration.

"Holy crap! It's updated!" Lucy shot off the couch and the group of eight all jostled around the computer screen while Gray scrolled down it. She would have said she was nervous, but it was difficult to be so when she was getting shoved back and forth within the group. After about thirty seconds the scrolling stopped. Gray lifted a tremulously shaking finger to point at the words on the screen, outlined in black and bold. Their resident stripper began to read them off, "Magnolia Middle School Eight-Piece Ensemble, Passed."

"Ha ha! I told you! I told you we'd make it!" Natsu roared. Lucy exhaled a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Pipe down, Salamander," Gajeel snapped at his cousin. "There are instructions."

"The final competition between the top ten ensembles is to take place on May Fourth…oh, that's two weeks before Juvia's graduation," the blue haired clarinetist pointed out. "Competition will be held in the morning, a free break for lunch, and an awards ceremony in the afternoon."

"I can't believe we actually made it," Warren said, tears streaming down his face.

"We are so freaking manly!"

"Congrats, Elfman, Lisanna," Mira said with praise mostly to her brother. "But the real test is just starting, you know."

"No worries, Mira!" Natsu claimed triumphantly, hopping onto the Fullbuster's coffee table. Lucy was surprised that he didn't break it. "I promised we would be number one, and I keep my word. Now, we just need one more push."

One more push appeared to be a lot more appealing during the following party than it did after. Their victory in no way allowed them to rest on their laurels. If anything, they were more psyched than ever, and the rest of their friends seemed to understand that fully. Any moment not spent on the mountain of homework that came at the end of eighth grade, was spent practicing. Whether it was alone, in groups of twos or threes, before daily band practice, or on the weekends in the full group, their time was very much monopolized by practice. Near the end of April, Lucy swore that she saw blisters forming on her fingers, and yet she couldn't be happier at discovering this.

Around the same time, auditions were held for the younger grades, though it wasn't like Lucy was exempt from this. Despite Natsu's insistence that he would make Makarov hold up his end of the deal, the older man still had them complete the first stage of auditions. The blonde felt it went well, but she was so focused on the upcoming performance that she really couldn't care less. Everyone else in their group or in the band program was getting rather excited for it as well. Since there were so few bands that had moved onto the final competition, it meant that the guest pool wasn't as large. Well, Lucy realized the night before the performance that that was a lie. Their group alone was bringing tons of people, including but not limited to: Erza, Cana, Mira, Makarov, Laxus (reluctantly), Fried, Bickslow, Evergreen, Bisca, Alzack, Levy, Yajima, and all of the families involved with making their dream a reality.

All the families except for one.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Jude told her with a light cough. "These negotiations with Veronica's leading industrial plant are just too important. I do wish I could go, but they're not willing to reschedule at this time."

"But…dad…" Lucy felt so frustrated, unable to get the words to even take residence in her mouth. "This is important."

"I know it is…" her father replied softly. "How about we have Capricorn film it and then we'll watch it together when we have the time?"

"Yeah…okay…" Lucy sighed out, trudging from her father's office. She didn't want to tell him that recording wasn't allowed in the concert hall, but it wasn't like that would have changed her father's mind on the matter. So despondent was Lucy that she just flung her face onto her pillow and didn't move all afternoon, not even to bid farewell to her father as he left on his latest business trip.

She fell asleep without having dinner, and therefore had to race the next morning to shovel food in before herself, Capricorn, Virgo, Aquarius and about half the house staff left for Crocus. It was a long drive, but well worth the trip when Lucy stepped out to look at what was most likely the most extravagant concert hall in the country. Natsu and Gray were waiting outside, the two of them having been in Crocus since last night. They were clearly waiting for the others to arrive while glaring daggers at two very familiar bands. Lucy left her house staff to join up with them.

"No surprise they made it through, huh?" Gray said. Lucy followed his line of vision to see the clearly gathered ensembles from Grimoire Prep and the Oración Seis School. Angel was among them and she noticed Lucy from their distance, throwing a rather smug look to the blonde. "No worries, though. There's no way they've worked as hard as us."

Lucy wasn't worried, and if she was, that worry was completely diminished as the rest of their group arrived. Not even the daunting crowds coming to see the competition could put a dent in her confidence. Given the large concert hall and the small number of ensembles competing, each was given their own practice room before the first ensemble group was to play. Lucy found that the newfound anticipation of being the last group to play heightened that same confidence. In their downtime, the group decided to do one last run-through, as they were unable to do anything else but wait.

Just when the wait seemed to finally be getting the better of their unusually quiet group, an attendant popped in the room and told them it was time. To Lucy's shock, Natsu said nothing… but then she realized that he didn't have to say anything. They followed him out onto the stage just like they'd followed him all those years. It was a source of confidence that burned in all of them like fire.

"Performing now is our final performance: Magnolia Middle School with an original composition entitled 'The Soaring Fairies'," announced the gruff voice of the lead judge. Lucy only briefly got a look at the judge's panel, noting that they were all from the country's musical association, before Natsu tapped out on his bass drum. That was the cue to begin.

Lucy lifted her flute up and began to trill, making a crescendo that felt like the dawn of a new day. Juvia joined in with her only seconds later while Natsu's rolling bass drum continued to set the tone. Gajeel's saxophone then came in softly as the fairy's day began. The three woodwinds dominated the opening piece before the brass joined in and Gray's victorious trumpet sounded out the beginning of the fairy taking flight. Lucy and Juvia swelled with Gray, giving the feeling of a grand and majestic flight through the wind. At the same time, Natsu had shifted to a xylophone, giving an almost chime-like feel. In the background, however, Elfman, Lisanna and Warren were creating a darkness evocative of a growing storm. Then the trumpet turned harsh and biting, and those deeper instruments boomed out. Natsu had taken to a snare drum, a running undercurrent of tension as the brass owned the scene. There wasn't much for Lucy to do, and she realized that none of them had turned the page of their score even once. There was no time to ruminate on it, as Lucy's flute returned with Juvia and Gajeel to do battle with the brass, like they were the sun trying to break through the clouds, punctuated with a crash of cymbals.

The storm reached its peak and with a final burst, it died off, replaced with Gajeel's serenading saxophone, an indicator that night had fallen. Providing a background for him were the rest of the instruments until it fell away, Lucy's flute fading into a pianissimo alongside Natsu's soft tapping that meant the fairy was going to sleep. When they finished, the hall remained quiet, and Lucy wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. None of it mattered, as like the preliminaries, they were only allowed to applaud lightly at best. Once said applause was over, they left the stage, a little rush of euphoria settling in Lucy's stomach.

"Nice job out there, bunny girl," Gajeel said when they were in the slowly filling hallway.

"You too, Gajeel," Lucy said while they continued to walk. The blonde caught sight of Angel, staring at her with what looked to be a begrudging respect. Next to her was a girl a year younger.

"Oh, you were so splendid!" the girl cried out to Lucy as she passed by. That made Lucy smile while Angel rolled her eyes.

"Quit respecting the enemy, Yukino," Angel snapped before looking at Lucy. "You did a passable job, I suppose."

"You did better than passable, Lucy," Natsu insisted, coming between she and Gajeel to fling an arm around her. "You were great! We all did awesome!"

Lucy beamed brilliantly, but suddenly stopped at the sight of two boys, likely a year younger, staring at them. "Um…"

"What're you punks lookin' at?" Gajeel said, giving quite the stink eye to the two. The boys didn't say anything right away until the blond boy (who looked a little like Natsu, if she were honest) held out his program. The black-haired boy followed suit.

"Can you guys sign our programs? You were seriously awesome out there!" the blond exclaimed.

"Wait…you want our autographs?" Natsu asked, causing Lucy to giggle. "Sure thing. Who to?"

"Sting and Rogue," the blond boy, who Lucy guessed was Sting, answered. Natsu and Gajeel decided to oblige the two and signed the programs. "Sweet! Your drum playing out there was totally the coolest!"

Natsu likely would have completely agreed with the boy. However, Lucy didn't want him to get a bigger head than he already had, so she dragged him and Gajeel away off to lunch. It was a long lunch, rife with even more waiting and a couple of food fights thrown in for good measure. Only when they left for the awards ceremony did Lucy realize that Natsu had finally achieved that strange dream of his: they'd all sat together at lunch. Such a silly thought left her mind when they assembled in the front row for the awards. Most of it was dry until they'd gotten past the honorable mentions and arrived at the top three placements.

"In third place is the Oración Seis Quartet's performance of 'Dying Light'," said the head judge, a man by the name of Gran Doma. Said quartet approached the stage and received their award, but Lucy was too busy focusing on her fingernails. "Second place is awarded to Grimoire Prep's 'Devils'." More applause and more awards; her fingers were very interesting to her now. "And our top band, the winners of this year's Ensemble Contest is awarded to…Magnolia Middle School and their performance of 'The Soaring Fairies'!"

Total euphoria. Lucy was soaring inside. They had done it! They had really done it!" Months, no, years, of work had at long last paid off and their dream had been realized. No words could convey the indescribable joy inside her. From the feeling of their trophies in their hands, to the sheer adoration of their peers, Lucy couldn't be happier. Happiest of all was Natsu's wide grin that threatened to tear his face apart, especially once Makarov confirmed that he was honoring their deal. Everything here had been made possible thanks to Natsu, and even she admired him in that moment. It helped her to understand what Lisanna must have been feeling when she asked to speak to Natsu privately. Lucy just returned to Capricorn, besieged by so many farewells and congratulations.

"Did you see? We won!" Lucy chirped upon arrival, her smile wide.

When Capricorn turned to Lucy, her smile dropped off.

"Laaady Lucy, I just got a call," he said calmly, but not in a way that Lucy liked. "Your father collapsed. He's in the hospital."

And Lucy's world crumbled.

* * *

 **Author's Note: A rather depressing end there, and I'm sorry about that. From the joyous relief of triumph to there in a few lines…well, that was the intent. That said, we all know Jude will survive this, but how will Lucy take it? And what about Natsu and Lisanna? Keep in mind that at this point, Lucy either doesn't or doesn't realize she has a crush on Natsu. With that out of the way, we're halfway through this story already! Wow, time certainly flies…Next up: the summer of Lucy's despair, introducing some** _ **more**_ **characters. I hope you enjoyed, and if you'd did, I'd greatly appreciate a Review and remember, Dare to Be Silly.**


	8. Chapter 8

**This is kind of a rough chapter. If you're not prepared to watch a girl go through an emotional breakdown, then prepare yourself and come back. If you're good with that, join me for Chapter 8!**

* * *

Chapter 8

 _Beep._ Lucy's chest rose out. _Beep._ Her father's chest went down, though only a little.

Her fingers were digging into her palms, the blisters on them pulsing with pain. It was more from that pain that tears were spilling from her eyes. Next to her, Capricorn stood silently, reading from a book. To Lucy, he served as a comfort, no matter how slight. Lucy's hands clenched tighter, her fingernails now practically piercing her skin. The pain forced her to grit her teeth as she listened to the incessant beeping and watched her father's chest rising and falling. Capricorn closed his book.

"Laaady Lucy," he said solemnly, "do try to not hurt yourself." Her butler then reached down and gently pried her hands apart.

"S-sorry…" Lucy stammered out. She was grateful that Capricorn cared so much, but right now she didn't want to be here at all. She wanted to be with her friends, celebrating their win. How could she have gone from such happiness to such despair with just a few words? Why hadn't she said something to her father? Why hadn't she insisted that he come to the performance? It was all her fault…she hadn't done enough…hadn't said enough…

"Miss Heartfilia, Mr. Capricorn." Lucy looked up to see the doctor just outside the door. Lucy followed her outside to a nearby bench that she sat on. The doctor was an older woman with black hair and a kindly look. Past her, Lucy could swear that she saw Grandine bustling through. It made sense; they had moved her father to Magnolia General Hospital after resuscitating him at the hospital in Veronica. From the concert hall, they had come straight here. "Your father is stable."

"What's wrong with him?" Lucy squeaked, standing up nervously. The doctor smiled softly.

"I'm afraid he developed an ulcer," she answered. "It was likely from stress and overwork. However, the prognosis looks good. There appears to be some hemorrhaging, but we will be able to treat it. Should your father recover properly, and he should, he'll have to remain on bedrest here, cut off from work through the summer is the likeliest estimation."

"Obviously, money is no object," Capricorn assure the doctor. "Just help him get better."

"Is…is Mrs. Dragneel going to be working on him?" Lucy spoke up, her hands now clasping her dress by her chest.

"I can certainly ask for her assistance. She is one of the most skilled on-call nurses we have." Lucy nodded, hardly understanding much of anything that was going on. The doctor leaned down and put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Don't worry. We _will_ help your father."

"Don't worry, Laaady Lucy," Capricorn said kindly. "Everything will be fine. Perhaps it's best that we return home. Get some rest."

There was nothing Lucy could say to contradict that. So, she nodded and allowed Capricorn to take her by the hand. Her surroundings were lost on her, and her movements were hardly recognized by her. All she knew was that she returned home at some point and was helped to her room. Lucy fell onto her bed, the now uncomfortable surface feeling like needles driving into her skin. Her hands gripped at the sheets, and Lucy could swear she felt her blisters popping, but that pain was nothing like the anguish bubbling up.

Then it burst like a wave crashing in a storm.

"Waaaaaaaaah!" she screamed, tears falling down her face. The sound reverberated around the entire house, bouncing back in wails of her own making. No one came to stop her, and Lucy kept crying, like a lost small baby, until the tears finally dried up with nothing left. After that, exhaustion claimed her and she collapsed on her pillow.

When she woke the next morning it was to a wet pillow and her phone lighting up with messages from her friends. She ignored all of them. They were probably worried after the way she'd left yesterday, but Lucy was past the point of caring. Her world was shattered. It was bad enough that she lost her mother years ago, but the possibility of losing her father never occurred to her. Now that it had, no amount of friends was going to soothe her. She continued to ignore them through the day and into the week, no matter how many times her phone lit up. Eventually, she took the phone and threw it against the wall to shut it up.

Apparently, this warranted a visit from Levy the day before her father's surgery.

"Lu-chan, I know you're in there!" Levy screamed from outside the front door. Lucy was slumped against the wall, a blanket over her face. Virgo was moving to open the door, and Lucy pulled the blanket tighter. "Come on! We're all worried about you! You haven't shown up at school all week and we're-"

"Miss Levy," Virgo interrupted, opening the door to cut off the bluenette's tirade. Levy appeared to step back judging from the sound of the footsteps. Lucy curled into an even tighter ball. "I'm afraid the princess isn't available. I can take a message if you'd like."

"Okay…tell her that we care about her, and I brought her the last bit of homework and lesson notes for the year." Lucy turned her head to see Levy's pale hand stretch out and deliver a ridiculous stack of books and papers into Virgo's arms. "And Lu-chan, whatever you're going through, you're not alone. We all love you."

That seemed to be it, because Virgo closed the door right after, juggling the stack with a single hand. "This seems like a lot of punishment, princess."

Lucy just continued her streak of ignoring things. She didn't return to school at all, but she did keep up with the homework that Levy had so graciously delivered to her. Virgo would often drop it off at school while Lucy and Capricorn went to visit her father. The surgery had been successful and Jude Heartfilia's ulcer had been treated, but apparently the doctor advised against visitors while he was on bedrest. The day before graduation (which Aquarius had scolded Lucy into attending), her father was finally up for visitors.

"The company is running smoothly, sir," Capricorn informed him quietly. Jude looked solemn, a bowl of fruit on his lap and a scraggly beard on his face. "Junelle Enterprises wasn't happy about it, but myself and the majority of your board members were able to maintain strict control."

"That's good…" Jude grumbled out. He glanced over at Lucy, who only briefly caught sight of him as she twiddled her thumbs. "Could you inform the board I'll continue my leave of absence until the fall. When I return, I have some new ideas we'll be implementing to help me manage. Clearly Heartfilia Railways has grown too large for its own good."

"Very well, sir," Capricorn acknowledged with a bow. Jude shifted in his bed toward Lucy and finally looked his daughter in the eye.

"Lucy, I'm sorry I won't be able to see you graduate tomorrow. I wanted to be there, but under the circumstances…"

"It's okay, dad," Lucy uttered quietly. The surgery may have been successful, but it was obvious that nothing had changed from it. Her father cleared his throat.

"I've, hrm…I've arranged for you to be taken care of until I get out of the hospital," he said authoritatively. This piece of information hardly surprised Lucy; her father _always_ had contingency plans. "One of my friends from college, King Regulus, will be arriving shortly after you graduate. He's the president of Celeste University and has a son just a couple of years older than you. I'm sure you'll get along well."

He appeared to be smiling, but Lucy didn't return it. "Yeah, sounds great…"

In truth, none of it sounded great at all. She didn't want some people she didn't know coming into her home and taking care of her. She didn't want any of this! Was it so hard to ask for her father to just be there, for once in her life? It was bad enough that this whole ordeal reminded her of her mother's death, but now it was like her father was exiting stage left. It left Lucy's mind in a state of turmoil. She felt like she was spiraling, and nothing was pulling her out.

She still affixed a smile to her face the next day, in time for graduation.

"Lucy! Juvia is so happy to see her love rival!" Juvia exclaimed happily upon seeing the blonde arrive for the ceremony. Lucy didn't even waste her time contradicting the bluenette. "Juvia was almost afraid that Lucy suffered a grievous injury that prevented her from coming to school."

"You were 'almost afraid', Juvia?" Lisanna giggled out at the comment. The white-haired girl leaned over and gave Lucy a tight hug. "We were all really scared. If Natsu and Wendy hadn't told us what was going on, I think that Erza may have led some sort of assault on your mansion."

"Natsu? How did he…?" Lucy was able to answer her own question when she realized that Grandine had tended to her father. There was no doubt she had mentioned something to her family after Lucy's very conspicuous absence. Putting a very fake smile back on her face, Lucy turned to Lisanna. "Speaking of Natsu, are you…?"

"Um…not here, please," Lisanna said. Her tone was darker than usual, and judging from the way she was looking off to the side, Lucy had a very good idea of the answer. Deciding to respect her friend's wishes, she turned away only to be thumped by Levy on the back.

"About time I've seen you crawl out of your hole, Lu-chan," Levy greeted cheerfully. Lucy hugged her best friend back, but hardly put any emotion into it. "Even _Gajeel_ was starting to worry about you, and he's about the most unfettered individual that I know. Next time, don't shut us out."

"Sorry. I'll keep that in mind," Lucy assured her. It seemed pretty obvious to the three other girls that Lucy was lying; even she wasn't convinced by herself. Luckily, they weren't able to call her out on it thanks to the blue blur that was Wendy rushing her with a hug. The girl seemed to be crying, probably just tears of joy, and Lucy stroked her hair comfortingly. "Where's your brother?"

"Fighting with Gray," Wendy answered when she separated from Lucy's chest. Had it been any other time, Lucy would have rolled her eyes at the rather obvious answer, but this time she gave no reaction. It disturbed herself, and she could only imagine how everyone else was feeling about it. Her thoughts sinking even further into a negative region, she was spared any questions by the call to order for the graduates. The girls each bid the others farewell and Wendy returned to her parents. Lucy found herself next to Gray, who was in the process of removing his graduation robe when he saw her.

"How've you been?" he asked in a hushed tone, mostly so the teachers couldn't hear him.

"I'm fine," she answered him perfunctorily. Gray frowned and ceased his disrobing. He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Lucy was grateful for that; out of every one of her friends, Gray always knew how to leave well enough alone. Closer to the front of the line, Lucy saw the pink hair that indicated Natsu's presence, but she averted her eyes from the sight of it. Today was not a day that she wanted to deal with him.

The graduation ceremony that followed went exactly as Lucy had expected. In this case, that meant everything went smoothly through any honors awards, and Lucy became completely surprised by Natsu winning the Science Department's "Student of the Year" award. It was during the diploma portion that everything became the usual mess of chaos and lack of decorum that everything became when Natsu, Gray and Gajeel were involved. Not that the school could even suspend them or anything. Lucy was just glad she could get her own diploma and Academic Achievement Award. Following the ceremony, a reception was held, but the blonde decided to just go home. She was intercepted by Lisanna.

"We have to hang out this summer, before Music Camp," Lisanna insisted, clasping her arm tightly. "Levy and Juvia both wanted to go to the local water park. Please say you'll come!"

"I'll see what I can do," Lucy answered honestly. Looking around, she noticed that no one was really in the hallway with them (unless her house staff counted, but she didn't at that moment). So, Lucy leaned in and asked, "How are you and Natsu doing?"

Lisanna seemed to straighten her stance a little and she detached from Lucy's arm. Her gaze appeared to find the floor very interesting. "I…I told him. Asked him out…"

Lucy breathed out a little, Lisanna's reaction all but proving her earlier suspicions. "And?"

"He said no," Lisanna said. She didn't sound all that upset, but her voice did briefly hitch with emotion. "Well, he actually said, 'Sorry, but I'm not interested'." Lucy tightened her lips, her hand shaking as it held on to her diploma. Lisanna looked up and smiled at her. "It's okay, though. I always knew there was a chance…"

"I'm…I'm sorry," Lucy squeaked out, having no other response for the clearly heartbroken girl. Lisanna reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about me. Worry about you," the white haired girl said kindly. She then drew her into a hug. "We all know what you're going through can't be easy. Just remember, we're all there for you. So, give Levy a call when you want to do that water park thing."

"S-sure." Lisanna separated from Lucy and waved her goodbye, running down the hall to where Elfman was. Lucy breathed in a little and then rejoined her house staff to return home. Clouds were gathering overhead and rain began to fall shortly after they'd gotten home. Capricorn took her diploma from her to frame it and Lucy simply tromped up to her room. The flutist sat with a huff at her desk, not bothering to change her dress. Her eyes slid over the disheveled desk and the papers strewn across it. That alone was so unlike her.

"So, what's up?" Lucy whipped around and chucked the first thing she could find at the owner of the voice. Natsu caught it with a grin. "Come on, Lucy, like that's going to work."

"Get out!" Lucy snapped. Natsu didn't listen. To make her point, the blonde stood with a glare.

"Why did you ignore me at graduation?" Natsu asked innocently. Lucy's fists clenched a little. She could hear Lisanna's words of what he'd said swirling in her head. He had broken the girl's heart so easily, and he was acting upset that she may have been ignoring him. Hello, pot, calling kettle…

"I wasn't ignoring you," she told him evenly.

"Sure seemed like it," Natsu commented, leaning on the windowsill. Outside the room, the rain was falling thicker than before. Lucy's glare sharpened.

"It's not always about you, Natsu!" Lucy screamed. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but right now Natsu was a more than acceptable target for the emotions roiling around inside of her.

"I know that! But I've been worried, you know," Natsu said, scratching the tip of his nose. "You didn't show up at school, you didn't answer my messages. I know your dad-"

"Oh, that's real rich," Lucy barked out with a harsh laugh. "You're so concerned about me and my well-being but you couldn't be bothered to show the same kind of consideration to Lisanna when she poured her heart out to you."

"Is that why you're being such a jerk?" Natsu asked, his eyes blinking with a dumbfounded expression. Lucy's own expression transformed into a scowl. "I've known Lisanna for a long time, but I'm not interested in her that way. I want to make it into the Fiore National Drum Corps. Dating's not really important to me, right now."

"You're an idiot," Lucy hissed. Truthfully, she couldn't think of any other kind of response to Natsu's reasoning. Right now, though, she wanted someone to be mad at, and Natsu fit the bill perfectly. "She's your friend, my friend, and you'd reject her for something so ridiculously stupid. You're not getting into the Drum Corp for at least another ten years, idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot, Lucy!" Natsu yelled back. "And what's crawled up your butt?"

That was the last straw. Lucy grabbed the next closest thing on her desk and threw it. This time, Natsu didn't catch it and it struck his chest before tumbling to the floor. Natsu looked down at it while Lucy stood there, seething. "Get. Out."

"Lucy…"

"Go away, Natsu!" Lucy screeched. She took a step forward angrily and the boy finally appeared to get the message. In a first for him, Natsu didn't say anything, but climbed back on the windowsill and leapt out of it. Lucy walked over and slammed the window shut. Her chest still heaving with anger, Lucy looked down and saw what she had hit Natsu with: her ensemble trophy. Her scowl gave way to a tamer frown and she looked away from it.

Until he learned how to respect his friends' feelings better, she and Natsu Dragneel were done. That was that.

* * *

 _Summer, Ninth Grade_

As it turned out, President King Regulus of Celeste University and his son, a typical pretty boy junior named Loke, arrived at the Magnolia Heartfilia Manor just two short weeks after graduation. Lucy was struck by King Regulus' impressive physique as he appeared to tower over his own son and most of her house staff, barring Capricorn. More striking than that was the massive moustache on his face, which was so evident it almost looked like it was coming out of his nose. If that wasn't strange enough, his manner of speech made up for it, as Lucy found out when the boisterous man took her in a bone-cracking hug upon arrival.

"Old friend, I am glad to see you have not succumbed to tears," he said in a deep, booming voice. Lucy looked over at Capricorn, who gently retrieved her. "I am almost certain our old friend does not remember me. I met you when you were but a baby."

"King and your parents are…old friends," Capricorn elaborated. This caused King to grin before turning to his son. Lucy tilted her head and caught sight of him. His fingers were currently flying rapidly across the keys on his phone.

"Leo, cease your frivolous communications," King said sternly, though not unkindly. "I am sure Aries will always be waiting. The rest of your women…just dump them."

"Dad, how could you even suggest such a thing?" Loke (or Leo, as Lucy learned his birth name was) responded indignantly. "A man always needs to keep his ladies wanting more."

"Eugh!" Lucy blurted out involuntarily. This drew Loke's attention to her and she got her first good look at him. He was handsome enough with orange hair that looked close to a lion's mane. He wore a ring on one of his fingers and at that moment was peering at her through tinted glasses like she was some sort of conquest.

"You didn't mention she was this hot, dad," Loke said appreciatively with a wink. Lucy's face flushed a little at the compliment, but her insides still churned at what he was implying.

"Leo, our old friend Lucy is not a conquest for you, understood?" Apparently, Loke didn't care, because he sidled up to Lucy's side and casually draped an arm over her shoulders, his hand dangling suspiciously near to her chest.

"You'll have to forgive my father," Loke said with a little smirk. "He's putting on some medieval festival or something at the university this summer, and he's getting into character. But you, beautiful, are a character all your own."

"Does that kind of line usually work?" Lucy asked. She reached over, grabbing his finger and bending it harshly. He squealed a little and Lucy smiled for the first time in a month. Wrenching herself free of Loke's grip, Lucy found herself grateful that she was used to dealing with hellions like Natsu and Gray every day.

"It's a process…" Loke responded, rubbing his finger once she'd let of go of it.

"Well, try it on someone else. I'm not interested," she snapped before turning heel and stomping upstairs.

"Aw, come on, beautiful. Don't be like that!" Lucy just ignored him, slamming her room door shut with a ridiculously loud noise. Remaining in her foul mood, Lucy turned to her computer and new phone with a sigh. Only half an hour and Natsu had yet again flooded her inbox (though some appeared to be Gray using Natsu's e-mail to send spam). Huffing angrily, Lucy deleted all of them and slammed her laptop shut. As an added measure, she drew the curtains around her window tightly. When would Natsu get a clue that she didn't want to talk to him?

Lucy blew some hair out of her eyes and grabbed a book off her desk. She flopped onto her bed and began reading, making annotations in the book as it was one she had to read for school. She was barely a page into the book when a knock came at the door. Scowling, Lucy lowered the book and yelled, "Go away!"

"Hey, I just want to get to know you, beautiful!" came Loke's voice through the door. Lucy would have thrown her book at the door to get him to leave, but she didn't want to expend that kind of energy.

"I have a name," she snapped. Lucy closed her eyes and prayed silently that he would leave. She really wasn't up for dealing with people today…she hadn't been for the last month.

"Okay, sorry, Lucy," Loke said quietly. He was softer now, but Lucy's opinions towards him didn't change from that. She'd seen it enough when she was younger; people would be so nice and comforting, but it turned out they were using her. "All right. I'll leave you alone, but you and I will get to know each other this summer."

"Fat chance…" Lucy breathed out, resuming her reading.

She underestimated Loke's persistence. If it wasn't the phone calls or messages from Natsu, or the worried conversations with Levy and Juvia, then it was Loke knocking on her door at least three times a day. After weeks of avoiding the orange haired playboy (and he was; she'd seen at least three or four different girls over), Lucy's patience was wearing thin. Only her father's improved health was starting to lift her spirits. She couldn't avoid the boy forever, though.

On the week before her fourteenth birthday, the Heartfilia Manor was planning a big festivity, not that Lucy had invited anyone. Until her dad was fully healed and out of the hospital, Lucy wasn't in a celebratory mood. It was on one of these planning days that Virgo had asked Lucy a question and then left, accidentally leaving the door open in the meantime. Loke seemed to jump at this opportunity.

"Nice room," he commented. Lucy flung herself from her chair angrily. Loke waved his hands in front of his face, or at least one of them, considering the other was holding a mug of hot chocolate. "I come in peace."

"And I have a moustache," Lucy drawled. "Get out, Loke."

"Why are you avoiding me?" Loke asked, pushing his glasses up. "I'm just trying to make friends with you."

"Somehow, I think you have more than friendship on your mind," Lucy snapped. Her irate tone hardly deterred Loke, who walked into the room with a look of appraisal. He stopped near her desk and pulled up the Ensemble Trophy.

"Huh? I knew you sounded familiar," he said, sounding a little impressed. "You guys won the Ensemble Contest this year. People at Magnolia High won't stop tal-"

"Leave." Loke paused with a little blink. Her words had hissed out, and when the older boy seemed incapable of moving, Lucy slapped his hand and sent the trophy to the ground.

"Sorry, I just-" Lucy bent down and picked up the trophy. Holding it in her hand, all the memories of that day, along with the absolute worst of feelings, came flooding back to her. She hated looking at this trophy, knowing what it represented in her life. She didn't even know why she kept it around. Whipping around, she pitched it into the trash. "Whoa! I wouldn't get rid of something like that."

"Oh, shut up," Lucy snapped. Then she stopped, finally hearing the venom in her voice. Was that what she sounded like nowadays? Had she spoken to everyone with that same measure of venom to everyone in her life? If she had, it was no wonder that everyone was on tenterhooks around her. She'd become a ball of emotional distress, and for the first time since her father had been taken to the hospital, Lucy realized that she'd become an enormous bitch to the people she cared about more than anything. This realization brought her to her knees, tears in her eyes.

"Whoa…hey, Lucy, I didn't mean to make you cry," Loke said sympathetically and sincerely. "Look, if you really can't stand me, I can keep to my own."

"I…I'm so sorry!" Lucy cried out, feeling the salty taste of tears in her mouth. "I'm such a horrible friend! I've been so angry and mean to everyone!"

"Hey, now, you have nothing to be ashamed of," Loke spoke softly. He was rubbing her back comfortingly and put the mug of hot chocolate into her hands. "Anyone would explode after what you've been through. It's a testament to how much your friends love you that they still care about you after everything."

"But I…I've been so horrible," Lucy squeaked out, feeling the comfortable warmth on her hands.

"You've been human," Loke assured her. She didn't know why, but it was nice to have someone to pour all her emotions on. Someone who wouldn't judge her, but was there just to listen. As it turned out, Loke was surprisingly good at just that. Lucy poured her heart out (and her tears) from her regret: from her fake smiles, to blaming herself, and then to her general negative demeanor. Loke took it all comfortably in stride.

"Thanks for listening," Lucy finally sighed out, drinking the last dregs of the hot chocolate. "I guess I just needed to _talk_ about everything."

"No problem," Loke answered, leaning back from his sitting position. "My friend Aries went through some things, and I was there for her. I find most people just need to talk about their problems."

"Yeah…" Lucy admitted. She felt a little lighter, unburdened by the anger that had formed inside of her. "I guess you're not so bad, after all."

"You flatter me, beautiful," Loke responded with a cocky smirk. Lucy shoved his shoulder and the boy started to laugh. To her own surprise, Lucy started laughing with him, and it felt so…good. Perhaps, Loke was a better person than she gave him credit for. With a smile, Lucy realized it was the start of another lifelong friendship.

* * *

The week preceding her birthday had Lucy feeling the happiest she'd felt in a long time. Gone was the surly Lucy who hated herself and everything around her. Given her improved spirits, Lucy finally reached out to Levy, Lisanna, Juvia and even Erza to invite them to her birthday party and a later visit to the waterpark. Judging from Erza's over-the-top reaction, she was glad she'd done it over the phone. She also managed to invite Wendy (but only Wendy) through a chance meeting with Grandine at the hospital. Natsu was still on her ignore list, though; she still couldn't believe how insensitive he'd been to Lisanna.

For the rest of that week, Lucy began to spend quite a bit of time with Loke, who was a good friend when he wasn't attempting to hit on her. Since it was summer break and Lucy had already finished her required reading for the upcoming school year, the days would often find the two of them going out for ice cream or the mall. Loke was surprisingly fashion conscious, though when he started hitting on any female in the vicinity, Lucy got a good idea of why he was. Nights, conversely, were spent watching movies or playing board games with the house staff. Loke's father would often join them, the man far more free of worry than her own was.

Spending time with Loke was more than just fun and games, however. She ended up learning quite a lot about him, from his hobbies (dating) to the fact that he, too, was a part of the Magnolia Music Program as a saxophone player. That suited him well, and when Lucy met his friend Aries, a flutist in the program, she could see how they'd so easily formed a friendship. Well, it was obvious to Lucy that Aries harbored something deeper for Loke, but the soft-spoken junior wouldn't speak up about it, and Lucy knew it wasn't her place to pry. Needless to say, she got along with the pink-haired girl very well, though it did remind her of the pinkette she was currently avoiding. Lucy invited Aries to her birthday party on the spot.

Finally, July First rolled around and Lucy was all smiles. It was hard to not be when she woke up to a gift from her father. Apparently he had picked out something from a music catalog for her. She tried to call him, but he was unavailable at the time. Shortly after that attempted phone call, the doorbell rang and Lucy opened it to the sight of Wendy and Grandine.

"Happy Birthday, Lucy! I've missed you again!" Wendy cheered, holding out a box to her. Grandine was holding Wendy's duffel bag, along with another gift that Lucy presumed was from Natsu. Lucy ignored that and took Wendy into a hug.

"I've missed you, too," she answered. She could feel Wendy smiling. "Sorry I've been away so long."

"Wendy has been very excited about today," Grandine confessed, bringing the younger girl's things in and placing them and the present on a nearby table. "And don't worry about Natsu interfering; Igneel and Silver have Natsu and Gray tied up in arguments. You know how those boys can get…"

"Sure do!" Grandine offered Lucy a birthday hug, absolutely motherly in touch. Somehow, Lucy got the express feeling that Natsu's mother knew Lucy was ignoring him, but it was kind of her not to say anything. She departed shortly after and Lucy grabbed Wendy's things to take them up to her room.

"Lucy, how come you and Natsu aren't talking?" the bluenette suddenly asked. Lucy froze. "He's been really depressed."

"Has he?" Lucy asked, trying to avoid any sort of stutter in her voice. "Well, right now, me and Natsu are…complicated."

"What's complicated?" Wendy asked with a tilt of her head. She looked so curious that Lucy really didn't have it in her to tell the girl that she was mad at her brother. "You miss him, right? I know he misses you. Sure, Natsu can be a little dense, but…"

"Wendy, that's…your brother can be really dumb," Lucy concluded. Maybe it was just best to treat the whole situation like ripping off a band aid. "And we said some things, and got into some arguments. He's the one who needs to apologize."

"Why? Aren't you friends?" Lucy couldn't help but blink at the honesty of the statement. Had it been any other girl, Lucy would have dismissed the notion, claiming naiveté about how things worked. Wendy wasn't any other girl, though; she was far too bright for her age sometimes. They _had_ been friends, she supposed. So, why, was she still mad at him? Because he was too dense to notice that a girl had a crush on him? Wasn't that just par for the course?

Lucy was very gratefully spared the agony of having to answer by the rest of her guests arriving. Wendy didn't poke or prod her about it through the whole night, likely forgetting the question in the midst of the fun activities. Said fun activities also seemed to drain her, leaving Lucy and Erza to tuck her in early. Levy and Juvia were quick to follow, especially with how boring the movie they were watching was. This mostly left just Lucy, who snuck downstairs to the kitchen for some more cake, only to find Lisanna apparently had the same idea. Both girls laughed it off joyfully.

"It's nice to see you smiling again," Lisanna commented with a piece of cake in her mouth. "Levy wouldn't stop texting me with worry after you talked every time. Now, if only we could get you back to the tavern."

"I'm not sure I want to go back _there_ yet," Lucy blurted out, only realizing her mistake when Lisanna's plate and fork clattered loudly on the counter.

"Because of Natsu?" Lucy turned, shoving as much cake in her mouth as she could in order to avoid answering. Lisanna sighed loudly. "I thought so…"

"Why? Has he said something?" Lucy asked, forgetting the cake that was in her mouth. Lisanna briefly stepped out of the line of fire.

"It's Natsu. Of course he's said something," Lisanna deadpanned. "He's been complaining all summer about how you don't call him or e-mail him. I thought it was just whatever you were going through until you started talking to us again. What did he do?"

Lucy debated telling her, considering it was partially about her, but eventually relented. "He rejected you, Lisanna. He didn't even give you a chance for something that he can't even-why are you laughing?"

"I'm sorry…" Lisanna choked out while she cried tears of mirth. "You're mad at him for _that_?"

"Aren't you?" Lucy asked, genuinely confused by the reaction. Lisanna suddenly stepped forward and wrapped Lucy in a hug.

"That's who Natsu is. It's why I liked him. He's always moving towards something," Lisanna confessed. Lucy's brow furrowed at Lisanna's words; well, one word in particular.

"Liked? Past tense?" Lucy asked with a blink. Lisanna drew back.

"I'm over it," she said with a genuine smile. "Took some time, but I ended up realizing it was a silly childhood crush. And let's face it, I can be the kind of girl who wants a little attention. Natsu would _not_ be able to do that. His first loves are food and music. We just wouldn't be a good fit. What I'm trying to say, Lucy, is make up with him…for me?"

"I'll try…" Lucy breathed out. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she could fix their relationship after how callous she'd been. Natsu was a nice guy who was everything Lisanna said he was, but she'd been so harsh, she was no longer sure if he'd forgive her. These kinds if worries plagued her until she'd said goodbye to her friends (while noticing some candy she'd been given was missing in large amounts) and left for the hospital to see her father. She was surprised to see how healthy he was looking. Better yet, he seemed to smile upon seeing her.

"Happy Birthday, Lucy," he said cheerfully. Lucy nodded, unsure of exactly what to say, her eyes on her toes as they swung back and forth. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just personal things," Lucy answered. Jude sighed rather loudly.

"Oh, Lucy…I'm so sorry," he said. Lucy's eyes snapped up just in time for Jude to lean over and hug her. It was such a surprise that Lucy felt she couldn't even breathe. "I love you, Lucy, and I can only imagine the amount of pain this must have put you through."

"I…I…" Lucy choked out. Tears started falling and they couldn't stop. It had been so, so long since her father had said those words to her. As he held her tighter, Lucy wailed out, "I love you, too, daddy!"

It was such a simple moment, yet so profound as father held daughter, and for the first time since her mother died, Lucy felt free. All those years of doubt and loathing were washing away with her father's words. "Lucy…"

"Yes, dad?"

"From now on, I'm going to tell you that I love you every day," he said, pushing her away so she could see his face. "I don't want us to ever walk away without knowing that. We should always remind people that we love them."

"Y-yeah!" Lucy chirped happily. Maybe life was going to be whole again. Lucy's eyes caught a flash of white flowers and she stared at them curiously, unsure of their origin. "Who are those flowers from, dad?"

"Oh, one of your friends stopped by to visit…I think he said his name was Natsu, son of one of my attendants," Jude said with an amused shake of his head. "Interesting, brazen boy, but he spoke sense. He told me I had to get better for your sake. Nice young man, to my surprise."

"Yeah, he is…"

Lucy spent the rest of her visit catching up on life events with her father, but when she left, her mind was solely on Natsu. He had missed her, tried to contact her, and she ignored him. Worst of all, he had even gone to visit her father, for her sake. She'd been so horrible to him, and yet he was there, like a rock that refused to get washed away, even if it had motion sickness. _We should always remind people that we love them_.

"Oh, just go to him!" Aquarius snapped, chucking a plastic vase at her head during dinner. Loke looked up in surprise. "That boy has more forgiveness in a pinky than I have inside all of me. If you miss him, run to him and apologize."

Lucy could only stare ahead at the livid woman. Then she smiled, stretching her face too wide, and thanked her, dashing away without being excused. She was going to make up with him. She was going to tell Natsu how much his friendship meant to her, and how much it hurt with without it. She and Natsu would be friends again, no matter what.

* * *

 **Author's Note: A few things to mention about this emotionally charged chapter. First things, the argument between Natsu and Lucy was entirely Lucy's fault, made by poor decisions and words when she was having an intense emotional breakdown. I really don't think Natsu could be blamed for anything other than poor word choices. This chapter…it was difficult to write a thirteen-year-old girl having an emotional breakdown. I hope I did decently. As for the moment with Loke, it was showing two things: 1) sometimes you need to hear yourself to realize just what you're going through and 2) as this is a Nalu story, I thought it would be a nice idea to have the NOT-love interest be the one to help Lucy out of her breakdown. But, of course, it only matters what you guys think. Next chapter will finally introduce our favorite antagonist: Minerva! Look forward to it. So in the meantime, let me know what you think in a Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so happy that we're moving onto happier times! That's right, guys, high school is finally here, which means we're even closer to the time period of Musical Chairs! But for now, time for Chapter 9!**

* * *

Chapter 9

"Natsu! Natsu!" Lucy's voice was screeching, entirely audible over the pounding she was making on the Dragneel front door. Fear and anticipation was filling her breast, hoping that the door would open to the loveable pinkette she had once called her best friend. After a minute of screaming horribly, the door finally began to open and Lucy gripped a ribbon that was on her shirt. Unfortunately, it was Wendy who opened the door.

"Lucy…?" the bluenette questioned with curious eyes.

"Is your brother here?" Lucy gasped out. Wendy continued to look at her before grinning and nodding.

"He's in his room," she answered, stepping aside to let her in. "Are you two going to be friends again?"

"I sure hope so," Lucy admitted. Wendy kept smiling. Not wanting to delay any longer, Lucy ran for the stairs and began to dash up them, three at a time. From behind, she could hear Igneel speaking to his daughter.

"Was that Lucy?" he was asking. "Maybe she'll finally stop Natsu from being Mopy Dick."

"Dad, no bad language, or I'll tell mama," Wendy chastised her father before their voices were lost. They were replaced by a new set of voices.

"Ha ha! Suck it Frostbite, I got a booster!" Natsu was cackling, evidently playing some sort of racing game with Gray. Said boy didn't sound deterred by Natsu's trash talk as Lucy slowly opened the door.

"Oh, you're not winnin' another one!" Gray said. The door opened all the way now, and Lucy could see the two boys crashing into each other, both in the game they were playing and against each other. Gray was, naturally, shirtless. Despite their roughhousing, Natsu managed to clear the finish line, giving a big whoop, and Lucy cleared her throat loudly. Both boys turned their head and Natsu dropped his controller while Gray stood. "Uh…I'm gonna go…see you later, Flame Turd."

Natsu was speechless, not even levying a retort at the stripper, who squeezed past Lucy in the narrow doorway. Lucy stepped into the room tentatively and neither spoke. When the silence remained unthreatened, Lucy finally decided to take matters into her own hands. She bowed low and practically screamed, "I'm so sorry!"

Natsu blinked, stood, and then said, "For what?"

"I was really horrible to you," Lucy confessed, straightening back up. Natsu was staring at her with the same sort of inquisitiveness that Wendy had displayed. "I called you an idiot, and I shut you out. I know I was going through some things, but that's no excuse for how I acted."

"Meh, that's all in the past," Natsu said, waving it off with a grin. He took a step closer to her now. "How's your dad doing?"

"He's doing great. Thanks for the flowers," Lucy said. Her lip was trembling and tears were pricking at her eyes. Why did Natsu have to be like this? He was abrasive, rude, loud and could act dumber than bricks…but underneath all of that was this boy who held such compassion and capacity for forgiveness. For a brief moment, Lucy wondered if she ever deserved his friendship. Those doubts were erased by the arm clasping around her shoulder.

"We're best friends, right? That's what we do. Glad to hear he's doin' better. How have you been?" That infectious grin stretched wider across his face and now Lucy couldn't stop the tears. "Hey, no crying. You always look nicer when you smile, Lucy."

"Why…? Why are you so kind to me? Why are you forgiving me so easily?" Lucy gasped. She couldn't comprehend it; no one in her life had shown her nearly as much kindness as Natsu. This unbelievably kind, if impatient, boy was the very definition of a best friend. In the midst of her sobs, Lucy felt her body moving, her head against Natsu's neck as he hugged her in comfort.

"Because we're best friends, weirdo," he answered her. "Sure, you said some mean things, but you were going through stuff, right? What kind of friend would I be if I couldn't forgive you and be there for you?"

"You…" Lucy really couldn't articulate a response. She decided, instead, to settle for hugging Natsu around his midsection. "Thank you…"

"No prob!" Natsu said and the two pulled away from each other. Lucy took her sleeve and wiped her tears away, promising they'd be the last tears she'd shed for a long time. "That's better! You wanna do something fun?"

"What did you have in mind?" Lucy asked, one small sniffle lingering. Outside, the sky was going dark, highlighting Natsu's very mischievous grin. Oh, how she'd missed that grin. With a gesture of his hand for her to follow, Natsu exited his room and snuck over to Wendy's vacant one. When he emerged, he was holding a hairpin. Lucy blinked, not sure where he was going with this, but she followed him down the stairs anyway.

"Lucy and I are going out, pops!" Natsu called, continuing to lead Lucy to the garage.

"Be safe out there!" Igneel called back, sounding like his head was stuck in the fridge. Lucy ignored that in favor of continuing the journey to the garage, where Natsu was picking the lock on a cabinet. He managed to get it open and pulled out some objects which he hid in his shirt. Continuing to grin, Natsu now led them out of the garage. His shirt was very bulky, and Lucy wanted to ask what was inside, but feared the answer since it would be coming from Natsu. Rather, she followed his lead until they reached the lamp-lit South Gate Park. Since it was summer, there were still plenty of people around, but not enough to notice the two of them as Natsu tumbled a pack of fireworks over to Lucy.

"Let's celebrate your birthday in style, Lucy!" Natsu insisted.

"Are you kidding? We could get in trouble!" Lucy snapped. Natsu may have reinstated himself as her best friend, but this act truly was borderline idiotic. Natsu shoved a smaller firework into her hand.

"So what? Let's live a little!" Not even listening to another warning, Natsu mounted three fireworks and took out a matchbox. Grinning manically, he stroked the match to light it on fire and then lit the fuses. Lucy wanted to scream in frustration, but she looked down at the firework in her hand. Then, in an impossible moment, she decided to let her current inhibitions go. She swiped the lit match from Natsu and set her own firework next to Natsu's. They needed to wait only a moment for the fireworks to fire off, exploding in bursts of red and gold. Others' gazes were drawn to the sky as the fireworks illuminated it.

"Is that you, Dragneel?" called an angry voice.

"Uh-oh…" Natsu said, paling a little. He then made an about face, grabbed her wrist, and started running away from the scene. Inside, Lucy was almost panicking at the prospect of getting caught. Then, Natsu turned around with a bright grin. "Happy Birthday, Lucy! Let's have more years of friendship. You comin'?"

Lucy blinked, surprised at the statement. Then she thought about the present she'd opened that afternoon, and the ribbon contained therein. There was only one response to give. "Yeah!"

* * *

Natsu made life more fun, Lucy decided. She was done with moping, and having Natsu to make her laugh or get mad at was a welcome change. The best part was that Natsu was a naturally friendly guy; he and Loke had hit it off the moment they met, even if Lucy was sure that Natsu had asked the ginger-haired boy for a fight.

The graduated group's excitement blew through the roof by mid-July when the letter detailing their acceptance into the Magnolia Music Program, and the upcoming Music Camp, arrived. Lucy was instantly in a three-way phone call with Levy and Juvia. Before their conversation could actually take off, they all agreed to meet at the Tavern. Lucy hung up and headed straight there.

"Settle down, brats, and let an old man drink in peace," Makarov said from his usual spot. Next to him, Laxus was wearing his usual sour look, but at least now he wasn't glaring venomously at her. Even if he had been, Lucy would have found it impossible to lose the grin between Natsu and Gray.

"We got in! Hell yeah!" Gray cheered, his arm around a melting Juvia and Lucy herself. Natsu also had his arm around Lucy.

"I told you we'd get in! Piece of cake!"

"Well," Erza expressed with a sigh from the bar counter, "it's better than them fighting, director."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Makarov responded, draining the rest of his pint and clanking it on the counter. "You brats better have that music memorized by camp or there'll be hell to pay! I'm expecting great things from you!"

"You know we'll deliver, gramps," Natsu assured him, making Lucy laugh. "Let's get the gang back together! We'll have this music memorized by the end of the week. I'm all fired up now!"

"So am I!" Lucy cheered, giving Natsu a high five. After their party at the tavern ended (with a predictable brawl between the boys and Cana), Lucy popped over to the hospital and visited her father to tell him the news. Even though he still had a month and half left in the hospital, he looked more than ready to leave.

"You look very happy, Lucy," he chuckled upon seeing her skip into the room. "What happened?"  
"I got into the Magnolia Music Program!" she sang out. "It's only the best high school level music program in the country. Anybody who's anybody in the world of music was part of it. Remember Director Sequen?"

"Of course, your mother played under him when he was a guest conductor here in Magnolia."

"He helped _found_ the program with Mavis Vermillion," Lucy told him, her eyes lighting up with glee. "Music Camp starts in two weeks and I'm really excited. Too bad you can't take me."

"I wish I could, but I'm sure the nurses would pitch a fit," Jude sighed out. Lucy suppressed her giggles.

"That's okay. The Dragneels are taking me," she told him. Her father seemed interested in this and Lucy spent the rest of her visit talking about the entire Dragneel family to him. She wasn't entirely sure if he approved or not, but Lucy didn't care; the Dragneels were like a second family to her.

The next day, the old ensemble group got back together at the Strauss household for practice. The biggest difference was the presence of Erza, Mira, and Loke of all people. That was when Lucy quickly remembered the wrath of Erza Scarlet, who was particularly adamant about their speed of memorization. Lucy had no idea why but, with all of the other things she had to do to get ready for camp, she didn't care.

"Are you sure you don't want these, princess?" Virgo asked from the porch on the day the Dragneels were supposed to pick her up. Feeling particularly mortified, Lucy forced the girl to lower her hands.

"Yes, I'm sure! What would I need those for? And where did you even get them?" Lucy shrieked, noticing the Dragneel's car turning onto the main drive. Virgo just smirked a little.

"I was under the impression that you and Natsu Dragneel had a special relationship, the way he sneaks into your room once a week," Virgo answered. Lucy's eyes widened and her face flushed.

"We don't!" she squeaked back, her voice going up an octave. "And I don't _want_ him in my room!"

"Let's roll, Lucy!" Natsu suddenly yelled. "What's up, Virgo? Long time, no see."

"Good to see you as well, Natsu," Virgo addressed him with a bow. This was starting to get weird for Lucy.

"What are you two? Best friends?"

"Nah, you know you're my only best friend, Lucy," Natsu assured her. Lucy scoffed, but smiled nevertheless as she dumped her bags in the car and hopped into the backseat with Natsu and a tagalong Wendy. The second they were moving, Natsu had curled himself into a ball. "I think these patches are expired, Wendy…save me!"

"Aw, you can make it, Natsu," Wendy reassured her brother, while rubbing him on the back. With Natsu out of the picture for most of the car ride, Lucy turned to conversation with his sister until they finally arrived outside the broad expanse that was Crocus Fields.

"Sweet land!" Natsu screamed, diving out of the car. Igneel just looked like he was ashamed, before nearly hurling, himself. There really wasn't another family like the Dragneels. Lucy, having had no problems with motion sickness, was able to check out the sprawling campgrounds. From where she was, she could see the fields and cabins, nicely framed by the trees of a forest. Elsewhere was a large stadium that seemed to loom over everything. The other most important thing to note was the mass of people lingering around.

"Could he be anymore pathetic?" Gray asked, walking up to the family. It appeared that his adoptive brother, Lyon, was with him, along with his cousin, who was already walking away.

"Say that to my face, you popsicle-lovin' coward!" Natsu demanded, springing right back up.

"I did say it to your face, moron! And don't say crap like that…you make it sound dirty, Fire Crotch." Lucy rolled her eyes; and he was worried about _Natsu_ sounding dirty.

"Gray-sama! Juvia is here!" Gray appeared to cringe as Juvia appeared out of nowhere to hug him. The raven-haired boy was out of his shirt before Lucy could blink. "Is Gray-sama excited for Music Camp?"

"I'd be more excited if you weren't so damn clingy," Gray expressed. Lucy laughed loudly, earning herself a glare from Juvia.

"Gray, you should treat a lovely lady like this with more respect," his brother said before suddenly kneeling in front of the bluenette. "Juvia, my love, you are far too beautiful a water flower to be with a blockhead like Gray."

"At least I'm not delusional."

"Are you boys already fighting when you need to sign in?" called Erza's commanding voice. Lucy laughed again and turned back to the Dragneels.

"Thanks for the lift," Lucy expressed. She then lightly hugged Wendy and grabbed Natsu by his scarf, dragging him over to where freshmen were signing in for the next two weeks. Soon after, they were all gathered on the field before a scaffold, with the other students in a rather massive group, a key with the number seven on it in Lucy's hand. It didn't take long for Makarov to ascend the stairs.

"Welcome to another year, you brats!" he yelled out, commanding the attention of the masses. Lucy listened with rapt attention. "As most of you know already, you're in for the toughest two weeks of musical training in your life. You'll be tested mentally, musically and physically. Your first week will be comprised of two portions: marching and concert. The first will be during the day in order to finalize our competition set, while the evening will have concert practice with your guilds, which you'll be put into tomorrow evening. Think of them like your family for the next four years.

"Now, onto a different subject. I'm sure many of you will be excited for the annual return of the Grand Music Games, a week long competition of guild against guild, with the top guild being able to represent our program in contests throughout the year. I want that to incentivize all of you. But for now, enjoy what little freedom you have before we work you all ragged!"

Some students groaned, while others cheered. Lucy just told Natsu and Gray they should meet up before finding Levy, who had the same cabin number as her and Juvia, and the three quickly made their way to the cabin. Somehow, Lucy wasn't surprised to find Erza inside, giving orders to Bisca and Aries, along with Gray's cousin, Ultear (well, at least her cabin mates had been relatively surprising).

"Bunks sturdy, check. Bathrooms clean?" she yelled out. Bisca yelled back that it was all good, while Erza turned towards the approaching girls. "Seems we have an odd number. Juvia, I'm sure you can take a bunk for yourself. Once you've unpacked, we'll all go for dinner."

"Yes, ma'am," Lucy replied with a salute and a giggle added on the end. This camp was certainly going to be a different kind of experience.

* * *

Lucy certainly learned that Music Camp was more work than play. Not that she minded; the intense preparation that she and the rest of the group had done for the ensemble made this child's play. Although the heat was rather stifling, she had Levy and Aries with her in the flutes section. It appeared that Sherry had also gotten into the program, though she largely ignored Lucy. Like Makarov had asked of them, the girls had memorized their music. What surprised the incoming freshmen was the very thick stack pertaining to the marching show. For a second, Lucy was ready to panic like Levy was, until she grabbed the bluenette.

"Instinct," she said simply, remembering Director Makarov's words from the first day she'd met him.

"You're so right, Lu-chan! Let's do this!" After that, practicing the show became a lot easier. After a hearty lunch and another practice underneath the sweltering heat, Lucy and Levy met up with all the others at dinner, all of them having their own stories about the day's events. Juvia seemed the most depressed.

"What's wrong, Juvia?" Lucy asked, swatting Natsu's hand away from her burger. He appeared to have already inhaled his dinner. Denied from Lucy's, he went to steal Gray's, who stripped his shirt off and started another fight. Lucy ignored them.

"Rough practice session," Erza answered for her, sitting on Lucy's other side. "I'm sorry that I forgot to warn you. You may hit me for my failure."

"N-no, thank you! Juvia is okay!"

"I found it wasn't that bad," Levy commented. "Other than the heat, practice went quite smoothly. Gajeel, get your elbow off my head, right now." The fry-stealing boy gave an inexplicable "gee hee" but complied. Juvia sighed.

"Levy didn't have to deal with Minerva Orlando," Juvia spat. It was the first time that she ever sounded truly angry, and judging from the look on Erza's face, the scarlet-haired girl was pretty pissed, as well. Lucy decided not to pursue the subject, though the name Orlando sounded incredibly familiar. In either case, Lucy focused on eating dinner and dodging Natsu and Gray's usual brawl, while ignoring Loke, who came to flirt before getting smacked in the face by Erza. A bell rang to signal the end of dinner.

Together, the group of friends departed from Erza, who appeared to be meeting with Mira and Cana. They all made their way to the field and clustered together. Lucy noticed the upperclassmen all gathering together in six distinct groups with signs. Makarov cleared his throat. "It's that time again, brats: guild placement. I'll call out our freshmen's names in alphabetical order, along with the guild you've been placed in. There are only six guilds you can become a part of: Quattro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Saber Tooth, and Fairy Tail. No complaining on where you've been placed. And everyone else, give a big round of welcoming applause!"

From there, Makarov began making his way down his list. Ren joined the group of Blue Pegasus, while Sherry went off to Lamia Scale. Of their group, Natsu was the first to be called out, and he was one of the first ones to join the group called Fairy Tail. That guild suited Natsu perfectly: loud and chaotic, judging from their response. Gray was next, and he went right along in joining Natsu. Lucy was to follow soon after.

"Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail," Makarov said, like it was a foregone conclusion. To Lucy, it turned out that it sort of was. After being cheered on by Cana (drunk, likely) and slammed into Erza's chest, Lucy followed the rest of her friends' placements, only for them to be placed in Fairy Tail one-by-one. It became increasingly obvious that Makarov didn't want to break the team apart…or the tavern group, since it appeared even Laxus and the Thunder Legion were a part of their group, along with Loke and Aries. Following the guild placements, Makarov turned direction over to the teachers.

"Gildarts, you're our teacher? That's awesome!" Natsu yelled. Lucy observed this Gildarts, and after some interaction between him and their resident drunkard, she realized he was Cana's father. The biggest surprise, however, was how he just left them to their own devices and handed the reins over to the guild leader, who just so happened to be Alzack.

That evening was one of the most challenging and different evenings that Lucy had ever experienced. When they had arrived at their "guild hall" (which really just happened to be a bigger cabin), Lucy and the others were placed in their chairs (Lucy and Levy had placed third and fourth) and practice began almost immediately. That wasn't what made it different, though. Somehow, they were playing like a _family_. Sure, there still appeared to be arguments between Natsu and Laxus, but Alzack was able to control them effectively. The most interesting part, in Lucy's opinion, was the description of the Grand Music Games.

"There are five days," Alzack outlined near the end of practice, "each one focusing on individual things. Three of those five are events that we have to make decisions for: sectionals, small band, and experimental. Freshmen, you're only exempt from those last two."

"Aw yeah! I'm all fired up!" Natsu then cheered when they were on their way back to their cabins. "I'm gonna win that sectional position and beat the pants off of Laxus! How 'bout you, Lucy?"

"I'll try my best, Natsu," Lucy assured him, patting him on the arm. That seemed a good enough answer for Natsu, who was challenging Gray to a card game back at their cabin. Levy even laughed at the sight. "Think I'd be good enough to perform for sectionals?"

"Maybe. I'm not just handing it over, though," Levy assured her.

"Oh, you want to play it that way, Levy?" Lucy said with a smirk. The two girls laughed loudly at their poorly made threats before Erza hooked her arms around them, unknowingly dragging them back to the cabin.

"I'm sure the both of you would be excellent choices for sectionals. But if you want to perform well, then you need to eat hard, play hard, and sleep hard…but only inside of curfew, of course!" the redhead proclaimed dramatically.

"You left out practicing…" Levy pointed out. Lucy just sighed; she could now start to recognize the signs of when Erza went full-on delusional. This was one of those moments…though it had nothing on Juvia, who was mumbling that maybe if she performed in sectionals, Gray would marry her. Clearly, being absent for a month and a half had made her miss out on that particular wacky transformation.

By next morning, the delusions had been replaced with reality. That reality was even hotter weather that Lucy and Levy helped each other stay hydrated through. That day was a little more intense, but Lucy could at least say that she was having a measure of fun. The same could not be said for Juvia that afternoon, who looked even more miserable than the day before. Lucy was starting to wonder just who this Minerva Orlando was (or "princess" as Gray had heard one of this girl's fellow Saber Tooth members call her) in order to cause this intense a level of misery. On the other hand, she didn't really didn't want to know. Thankfully, dinner with Gray and friends was a surefire way to perk Juvia right up.

Following dinner, the group returned to the guild hall, where Alzack announced that they'd be having sectional practice. As a surprisingly emboldened Aries explained to them, however, practice in this case mean "auditions for sectionals". Lucy and Levy both found themselves surprised by this revelation, though they took it in stride.

"How did Fairy Tail do last year?" Levy asked of Mira when they were still busy arranging themselves in a circle.

"We won!" Mira chirped happily. "I got first place for the flutes, and Erza beat Minerva for the bass clarinets."

"Okay, just who is this Minerva?" Lucy asked, finally letting curiosity get the better of her. Mira seemed to be about to answer, but a rather lonely Erza answered instead.

"A particularly vindictive sophomore," the redhead answered, a scowl on her face. In Lucy's periphery, she could see Ultear waving Erza over; it seemed as though they were the only ones in their sections. "You're better off _not_ running into her. She takes delight in pain and believes she's above everyone else."

"Sounds lovely," Lucy drawled. Erza nodded before leaving them to their sectional practice. Not caring anymore about this vindictive girl, Lucy turned all of her attention to the audition. As it went with everything in the Music Program, the audition was essentially a mix of fun and challenging. Or maybe only she had thought it was fun, considering that Aries _had_ said doing perfect didn't mean you would participate. Lucy was happy to hear that, as Mira had outplayed her. Yet, as the guild was wrapping up for the evening, Aries told her three successors that Lucy had all but clinched the sectionals participation spot.

"Next year, Lu-chan! I'll win next year," Levy told her on the way back to cabin.

"Hey, I'm surprised too, you know," Lucy responded to her. Behind them, Juvia appeared to be shifting her eyes back and forth rapidly. "And how did you do, Juvia?"

"Juvia thinks she did well," the other bluenette answered. "But Juvia won't know until the official announcements."

Lucy hummed in acknowledgement, realizing that it had been an unusual circumstance of being told that she would be participating for the Fairy Tail flutes section. A commotion further ahead on the dirt road caught Lucy's attention. "Natsu, Gray, what on earth are you doing?"

"Nothing," Gray protested, his voice rising higher in pitch. Lucy frowned and narrowed her eyes at him, causing him to visibly swallow. Lucy's eyes swiveled over to Natsu.

"Should I call Erza?"

"We weren't doing anything!" Natsu also claimed, throwing his hands up. Clasped in one of them happened to be Gray's shirt, and it was torn in two. They both seemed to realize this mistake a second later. "Okay, fine. We were planning a game of Capture the Flag."

"But it's nighttime," Levy pointed out.

"Are you kidding? That's what makes it so fun!" Gray said, moving to strip his pants off. Lucy's eye twitched and he stopped. "We've been thinking this over since last night. Figure that while we're here, let's start a new Fairy Tail tradition."

"Hey, that sounds fun." Gajeel's grumbled joined them. "Whaddya say, Shrimp? How about you, me, and Rain Woman team up to take down Salamander, Bunny Girl and the walking freezer."

"But Gaji…Juvia wants to be on Gray-sama's team…" Juvia whined sadly.

"Now, hold on just a-"

Lucy's own protests were interrupted by Elfman booming across with a loud, "Capture the Flag is manly!"

Lisanna soon joined the party to shut her brother up, and before Lucy knew it, Jet and Droy were there, fawning over Levy. Not long after, she'd found herself agreeing to arrangements to meet up in an hour and play a five-on-five match. The blonde wanted to argue against it, but remembering Natsu's words to live a little, combined with his grin, forced her to relent. So, the three girls returned to their cabin, waited for Erza's snores to fill the room, and then they snuck out.

As Gray had said, what they did that night certainly started a new Fairy Tail tradition. Despite all ten of them just being freshmen, their little game had apparently garnered attention from some of the upperclassmen near Natsu's cabin. In particular, Lucy was surprised to see Laxus there, along with a chugging Cana.

"Look at you, Lucy, dressed all sexy-like for a game," she hiccupped out, clearly more drunk than usual. This proved true when the brunette tried to grope her, only to be held back by Fried.

"You need a referee," Laxus said with a surly look on his face. "And we face winner tomorrow night."

"A chance to beat Laxus again? I'm totally fired up!" Natsu's statement certainly proved true two hours later when he outran a particularly feral Gajeel to claim victory for their team. "Ha ha! I won because I'm a ninja! Nin-nin!"

"Idiot…I'll be surprised if Erza didn't hear you thundering away." Naturally, Gray's comment incensed Natsu into a fight with him. Laxus just scoffed and left with a single condescending look while the girls had to separate the brawling boys. It seemed like luck that Erza was still snoring loudly when they got back inside.

When the sun rose again, Lucy felt a little tired, but invigorated by the fact that Erza was oblivious. She really didn't want to know how the redhead would act if she found out. This sense of tiredness was all but banished away by practice and the lunch that followed. Lucy was halfway through her sandwich when Mira slid a folder across the table to her with a sweet smile.

"What's this?" she asked, placing her meal down to take a look. Opening the folder, she found a beautifully composed solo piece for the flute. "Mira…"

"I composed it this summer," Mira informed her. "I know you might have an idea on what you'll do for the sectionals, but if you'd like, I think you'd be great at this piece."

"It looks like it'll sound like a beautiful piece," Lucy gushed over it. "I'd be really happy to play it during the competition. I'll use it to get Fairy Tail to the top!"

"Fairy Tail? That trash guild?" Lucy turned her head at the sound of the voice, a single table away. Mira and Levy turned with her and all three looked at the girl. She had black, braided hair and was wearing clear top-of-the-line designer's clothing. She also had too much makeup on her eyes, staring down at them with her regal bearing and her lips upturned into a smirk. Lucy didn't need to be told to know who this was: Minerva Orlando. "Saber Tooth is the true top guild. Your pathetic guild isn't long for the chopping block, not with the way your wins turn out to be pure luck."

"Stop twisting facts to suit your story, Minerva," Mira snapped. Her voice was lower than usual, a certain coldness seeping out of it. Lucy kept her gaze focused on Minerva, only catching slight glimpses of people like Gray and Laxus staring.

"Story? It's all simply part of a script, written only by royalty," Minerva tried to correct her. "I'm sure you understand that much, at least, Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of the Heartfilia Railway's president. I hear your father's company is struggling."

"I wouldn't know," Lucy snapped to her. "I'm not involved in my father's business."

"Clearly…otherwise you'd be in a better guild than Fairy Trash," Minerva scoffed out. Lucy stood up, her chair making a loud scraping noise in the hall. It also seemed to quiet it. Lucy now had a measure of who Minerva was, but more than that, she knew _who_ she was. She was the daughter of the Orlando Aeronautics company, her father's competitor.

"Say what you want to say about me or my father, but I _will_ play this piece and I _will_ make Fairy Tail number one!"

Lucy's statement of bold defiance was left with speechlessness around the hall. Even Minerva had nothing to say, but she narrowed her lidded eyes into a threatening glare. She was clearly not happy with the challenge. Lucy didn't care; she meant everything that she said with every fiber of her being, and her sparking eyes proved that. Eventually, Minerva looked away with another scoff, the scowl still on her face. The room returned to normal and as Lucy turned back to her sandwich she could almost swear that she saw Laxus looking at her with an impressed gaze.

Somehow, news of what Lucy had said to the "Princess of the Tigers" passed around the entire band and was a prominent point of discussion in the guild hall that evening. Natsu, in particular, seemed impressed, despite the fact that he hadn't even been there. Lucy couldn't help but smile at that one and she threw herself into practice. _All_ of Fairy Tail threw itself into practice, and this became very clear by the day sectionals were announced. Mostly, it was when Natsu was announced to participate for the drums (well, there was Juvia being chosen, but Lucy felt that was just more wacky than anything, given her reaction).

"All right! I'm all fired up to win this!" Natsu proclaimed. "I might just be a freshman, but I'm totally gonna bring Fairy Tail straight to the top! Who's with me?"

"Oh yeah!" Lucy cried out, leading the rest of the guild in support. She found that fact rather funny; in less than a week, Lucy had truly become an integral part of this guild, like she was always meant to be there. More than that, though, the guild had truly become a family, ready to take on any obstacle. Each person chosen to participate in an event was blasting full-steam ahead to try and be the very best in their categories. Those that weren't chosen were no slouches, however, wanting to bring their guild to the top. The only thing that interrupted this continuous practice was the event on the night before the Games were to begin, aptly titled "Fighting Festival". Every girl but Erza paled at the thought of what it could mean, knowing how the word "fighting" was associated with their group's boys.

Lucy's apprehensions proved totally correct.

"Aw, yeah! I'm gonna sign up for every tournament and beat everyone's butts!" Natsu cackled out upon seeing the list of every competition to take place that evening. "You wanna join me, Lucy?"

"Yeah…Think I'll pass," Lucy answered. Truthfully, she felt she'd rather be practicing, but since she had to leave her flute in the guild hall that night, it wasn't an option. Instead, she decided she'd watch Natsu make a fool of himself rather than embarrass _herself_. She wasn't alone in this sentiment amongst the girls, as every one of them except for Erza and Cana hung back to watch the competitions. Thankfully, this didn't lead to a repeat encounter with Minerva, who didn't seem to be there. Mira, however, seemed the most exasperated by this, especially when Laxus signed up for all the competitions. Lucy had to wonder what was going on with _that_ one. Last she checked, those two were still on bad terms.

"This whole stupid thing was his idea," Mira huffed. "Somehow, he convinced his grandfather to hold a fighting festival. We already have our rivalry between the guilds, we don't need it against each other."

"Don't worry, Mira," Lucy said, patting the older girl on the back. "It's our boys, right? They fight on an hourly basis, so they'll walk out of it just fine."

"Lu-chan's right," Levy admired with a grimace. "It's us you need to be worried about…"

"Gray-sama is such a hunk…" Lucy wanted to groan at Juvia entirely missing the point, but decided on finding something to distract Mira away. She found something quickly enough.

"Is that Elfman and Evergreen talking?" It worked like a charm. Mira perked up and dashed straight over to berate her brother. That task accomplished, Lucy turned to surviving the night.

They did…but only barely.

The spontaneous brawls, Lucy could handle. She could even handle the breakdown of a fist fight between Natsu and Laxus, both looking like they were having too much fun. In fact, all that made her realize was that Laxus just needed a good fight to get his jerkish tendencies out of his system. What she couldn't take was the ridiculous _level_ of the competition. Whether it was throwing, eating, or even freaking bingo, the boys in their group proved a different reason why you didn't mess with Fairy Tail: they were vicious and driven to win at all costs. That, Lucy realized, was the reason she stayed out of it. The worst was the karaoke contest. Not that Natsu couldn't sing, or Gray, but their weird crooning duet definitely did _not_ make girls swoon. Gajeel's just caused brain damage, and a sophomore named Orga from Saber Tooth…Lucy wanted to curl up and die.

All in all…it was a fun night, and made Lucy pumped up for the Games to begin.

The next morning, Erza got them all up early and over to the guild hall where Gildarts explained the process of how the Games were going to go, including giving them their colors. Lucy smiled to herself, prepared to play for her guild as she set up her flute and got in line. For a brief second, something felt very strange with her flute, but the blonde passed it off as little more than nerves. Those nerves, which were far less than the day of the ensemble, didn't increase as the announcer, a man named Chapati Lola, announced their guild to the roaring approval of a surprisingly large crowd. An even further surprise was Mr. Yajima's presence in the commentator's box. Shortly after introductions that Lucy mostly ignored, everyone but the flutes and clarinets cleared off the field, prepared to perform sectionals. Lucy was to go last, which meant sitting through multiple other performances. Sherry was the only one she recognized. After an unknown senior from Saber Tooth finished her piece, Lucy finally stepped up to the stand and chair in the middle of the stadium.

"Now performing for Fairy Tail is Lucy Heartfilia!" Chapati announced enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Go Lucy!"

"Lu-chan, do your best!"

"You've got this one in the bag, Lucy."

"Why are you complimenting my Love Rival?"

"Gray, your clothes…"

Lucy smiled at the awkward support her friends were giving her and she sat down. The stadium quieted and Lucy raised her flute to her lips to play.

All it needed was one note for everything to go wrong.

She blew and a black substance squirted out the end, all over her. Worse than that, though, was that before she knew what had happened, Lucy took a sucking breath in. With it came that substance of whatever had suddenly been placed in her flute. It hit her mouth and the back of her throat. She coughed as it burned her esophagus, the hacking causing her to lose control of her body. Her flute clattered to the ground and she collapsed off the chair, continuing to cough. She could barely understand what was going on beyond a sense of mass panic. Lucy did hear Natsu, though, yelling one thing heard above everything else, even her coughs.

"LUCY!" he screamed, before his voice became a guttural growl. "Whoever did this…whoever hurt Lucy…you'll pay! I'll burn you to ashes!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: The fun of writing this chapter is that we are officially in high school. Why is that fun? Simply because a lot of the events mentioned in Musical Chairs are now being depicted here like the Fighting Festival, and Lucy being sabotaged by the paint in her flute. I also got to start the tradition of Capture the Flag, which played a prevalent role in the story. The other fun part about moving to high school is that Lucy's feelings are beginning to shift, even if she doesn't know it. As for Natsu…I think he's pretty obvious by now. Truth be told, this is the longest I've spent on a season in this story since the beginning, and we're still not done with summer yet…So, until the next chapter, please do Review and Dare to Be Silly!**


	10. Chapter 10

**It really is nice to write them in high school again in this little world I've built. Mostly, I just like writing all of the characters because they're so damn colorful. Anyway, enough about me. Time to read Chapter 10!**

* * *

Chapter 10

It hurt to breathe, Lucy realized, hacking once again. Tears were in her eyes, threatening to spill over and blurring her vision. She could feel the grass underneath her body, and through that, hear the sounds of footsteps thundering over. It wasn't long before two pairs of hands were underneath her body, helping her to sit up as she continued coughing. Some of her tears disappeared and she noticed the presence of Gray and Juvia near her. A few feet away, Levy had grabbed her flute, the black substance still dripping out of it.

Her mother's flute was ruined. That, more than anything, devastated her. After three years of treating it with all the reverence it deserved, it was utterly ruined. And for what? A game?

"It was you, wasn't it?" roared Natsu's voice, closer than she remembered it. Her eyes clearing just a little bit, Lucy looked up to see that Natsu was stomping over to Minerva. It made sense; the black-hearted girl could _not_ have been happy with Lucy's defiance and clearly sought to eliminate her. Too bad there was no proof.

"Careful of what you say, lowly peon," the girl scoffed with clear indifference.

"What did you call me?" Natsu was rolling his sleeves, obviously prepared to punch the girl in the face. Lucy wanted to deter him from doing so, but her inability to breathe precluded her ability to speak. Erza, thankfully, stopped it before it could get out of hand.

"Calm down, Natsu," she said fiercely. Natsu backed off, but he hardly looked frightened of the redhead. Gajeel and Cana, who were also by Natsu's side, looked less inclined to shy away from a fight.

"To hell with that," Cana snapped angrily. "This bitch hurt Lucy. Rules be damned."

"I'm with the alkie," Gajeel concurred. "Let's just get a few clean hits in."

"You peasants clearly don't recognize your place: on the ground, groveling," Minerva said, a wicked smirk twisting her lips. "Besides, you have no proof. Just empty accusations that lead nowhere. I've done nothing wrong."

"My fist disagrees," Natsu growled. Lucy coughed again, scared of just where Natsu wanted to take this. She had no doubt he could rearrange Minerva's face.

"Take it down a notch, Natsu!" Gray yelled out from next to her. "Do you _want_ to be suspended? Erza…"

"All of you, cut it out! This isn't the time or place for this, not while Lucy is the one hurt," Erza commanded authoritatively. This time, all of the Fairy Tail members pulled back, but Erza stepped forward, a very frightening scowl on her face. "Minerva, you've crossed the line. I don't care who your father is or what you think of yourself. You've hurt our friend, and that's something no one in Fairy Tail takes to lightly."

"Then prove I did it," Minerva challenged her. It almost looked like both girls were going to throw down right there, but thankfully it didn't happen.

"That's enough from all of you," declared Makarov's booming voice. "I want no fighting from you brats. Right now, Lucy's life is more important than these Games or a petty sense of pride. That said, Miss Orlando…you touch one of my children in any way, ever again, so help me, I will see your musical career ended."

Lucy, now being lifted away from Gray and Juvia by a pair of paramedics, couldn't see Minerva's face. If her own sense of satisfaction was any indication, she could certainly imagine Minerva looking horrified at the threat. That was all she heard and saw, though, because all the stress from the experience finally caused her to pass out. She didn't dream, though she was fairly certain of hearing beeps and voices all around her. The next thing she knew was waking up the next morning in a hospital room with a sleeping Makarov next to her.

"Director…" she croaked out. Her throat was still sore, but she was glad she wasn't coughing. Makarov jolted awake and the first thing he did was smile at Lucy. "What…what happened?"

"Lucy, I'm glad to see you awake, my child," he said softly. Lucy sat up a little. Her body was feeling okay, but her throat felt like it had had acid tossed down it. Makarov was helping her into a more comfortable position within seconds. "It's all right, the doctor says you're fine. Just need a little more rest. You can check out this afternoon."

"What…?" Lucy tried to ask again, but the burning sensation in her throat prevented that. The director just smiled again and patted her on the back.

" _Someone_ put an oil-based paint in your flute. You ingested a small amount of it, but the doctors were able to pump your stomach. I informed your butler, Mr. Capricorn, of the situation. The doctor, as I said, told me you're free to check out at the end of the day, but he advises you to keep your talking to a minimum for the next few days," he told her. His eyes were crinkled in kindness, but Lucy knew what he was saying: she was no longer able to compete in the Games.

"My flute?" her voice came out in a rasp.

"About that, you have some visitors." No sooner had Makarov approached the door from her hospital room that Lucy witnessed a surprising avalanche of people fall into the room, Natsu on the bottom, with Gray, Levy, Gajeel, Cana, Juvia, Lisanna and Elfman on top of him. Mira and Erza were standing over the collapsed group, though Natsu rebounded quickly enough, clasping a familiar black case in his hands.

"Are you all right, Lucy?" Lisanna was asking, dashing to her side with Levy.

"You had us all worried, Lu-chan!" Levy expressed, squeezing Lucy's hand. Despite the girls' very kind gestures, Lucy was focused on that case in Natsu's hands as he placed it on her lap, like he was inviting her to open it. With tremulous hands, Lucy reached forward and unsnapped the case, opening it quickly. "We got your flute fixed!"

"Took a long time to find someone who would fix it, though," Gray admitted. "If it wasn't for Erza's boyfriend, we might not have been able to find someone who could fix it so fast."

"Stop talking, Gray," Erza snapped, her face flushed as she whapped him on the back of the head. "Jellal is _not_ my boyfriend."

"Tch, sure…" Gajeel scoffed out, "that's the reason he was holding your hand the whole time we waited to visit bunny girl last night."

"Gajeel…" Erza growled warningly, causing the boy to skitter to Levy's side. The bluenette sighed.

"Anyway…it's a gift from all of us!" Natsu assured her, throwing a wide grin. Lucy's hands gripped her mother's old flute, noticing it felt the same as it had before this debacle. Tears pooled again, but with them came laughter. Her friends were so lovely. Before she knew it, she had grabbed Levy, Lisanna and Gajeel to pull them in for a hug. Cana forced everyone else to join in on the laughing, crying mess.

"All right, you guys, you're making the room crazy," boomed a deeper voice. Lucy peered through the curtain of her tears and was surprised to find Laxus leaning against the doorframe. "It's time to get out there and support our guild."

"Yeah! Time to kick those Saber Jerk's asses and get revenge for Lucy!" Natsu yelled out triumphantly. The others seemed to agree with him, because they all followed him out the door, corralled by Erza. Only Laxus remained…and to her surprise, he stepped into the room.

"Laxus…?" she whispered out. He was looking at her oddly for a good minute before sighing in obvious resignation.

"Sorry," he muttered. Lucy swallowed. "I've been an asshole to you, saying you, uh, didn't belong with us. But the way you stood up to Minerva and were forced to take her punishment…I'll knock that bitch into the ground for you."

"Please, don't," she said sternly. Laxus rubbed the back of his head and nodded.

"Natsu said you'd say that," he told her. That was hardly a surprise; Natsu knew her so well. "That said…I'm having the guild put something together for you on the fourth day. Get better."

That was all Laxus said to her…well, that and a pat on the head. It was so weird. Laxus was acting…nice. More than that, he actually looked like he was smiling. For the first time since she'd met him, Lucy could see what there was in the burly blond that made Mira so conflicted. Smiling to herself, Lucy sat back and tried to find something to do until the day was over. Thankfully, Levy knew her well and had left a book behind, which kept her attention occupied until she was released. Said release appeared to be met with celebration from not only Fairy Tail, but also a number of other guilds.

This made it rather difficult to enforce the "no talking" rule that the doctor had suggested, but by placing duct tape on Natsu's mouth (causing Gray to laugh and starting a fight) she was able to minimize the urge. The celebration was made better by the knowledge that Fairy Tail was in the lead in the Grand Music Games. The next day didn't change that at all when Bickslow and Fried performed an odd saxophone and trombone composition. Lisanna was watching it with fascination. The frustrating part was that she couldn't participate at all and was forced to watch from the very empty Fairy Tail section come the full-guild performance. Even worse was that Fairy Tail was the last to perform, which meant she had to agonizingly sit through five other guilds before finally being able to watch her own.

Her restlessness must have been obvious from where even the guilds were performing, because a number of her guild members looked up at her with smiles and nods. All of those subtle interactions vanished the second Gildarts raised his conductor's baton. It wasn't unfamiliar to Lucy, not since she herself had been practicing the piece for the last week, but the melodies still took her away to another land. In her mind's eye, it was a land of magic with many adventures, and she'd somehow imagined Happy as a flying, talking cat (who was still blue). As the song came to its ending, Lucy opened her eyes…

…and watched as Laxus raised his hand into the air with the sign they had developed in middle school. He wasn't the only one; Natsu, Gray, Juvia and just about every member followed suit. No member of the crowd understood it at all, but to Lucy it meant _everything_. She smiled and raised her own hand into the air, ensuring that she had gotten the message.

That summer, the sign became known as the Fairy Tail sign.

That summer, Fairy Tail swept the Grand Music Games.

* * *

 _Autumn, Ninth Grade_

"Your coat, sir," Capricorn said with a bow to Jude Heartfilia. The older blond man took the coat with a genial smile. Even though it was just early September, the weather was getting colder a little earlier this year. "I shall bring the car around."

"Thank you, Capricorn," Jude answered as he stretched a bit. Lucy smiled at her father. It had taken him months, but now, a week after school had started, he was finally getting out of the hospital. Better yet, he wasn't returning to the company until the following Monday. This gave Lucy the opportunity to plan an event for the day. "You've been unusually quiet, Lucy."

"Just happy," she replied as the family car was pulled around by Capricorn. He quickly got out and ushered both of the Heartfilias into the car. "Okay, Capricorn. To the Dragneel house, please."

"The Dragneels?" Jude questioned, looking rather surprised. Lucy reached downward and pulled out a box with a present inside: a very elaborate music folder that would belong to a professional, but had a personal flair to it. Lucy turned to her father, who had an arched eyebrow.

"It's Wendy's birthday…or was, on Thursday, but the Dragneels are having a party today," Lucy informed him. She didn't look directly at him, despite facing him, as she was slightly afraid of his reaction. "So, I thought we could go as a family and you could get to know all my friends. Natsu _is_ my best friend, after all…"

She tapered off at the end, truly afraid that she had rambled on too much. Taking a deep breath, she heard a small chuckle. At that, she finally chanced taking a look. To her surprise, her father was smiling and laughing. "That sounds like a very fun idea, Lucy. Besides, I've wanted to meet Natsu again."

"Are we all set then, Laaady Lucy?"

"Yes, Capricorn," Lucy said jubilantly. The car finally started forward and made the short trip from the hospital to the Dragneel house. Unsurprisingly, the party was already in full swing by the time they got there.

"Yay! Lucy's here!" Wendy cheered, grabbing her hand and dragging her inside. Lucy barely had the time to drop her present in amongst the others. Her father was a little slower to follow with his bemused expression. Wendy didn't stop pulling until they were in the backyard, which was decorated nicely. It came as no surprise to her the people there, unless one counted Juvia; as far as the blonde knew, the bluenettes weren't all that close to each other.

"'Sup, Lucy! Natsu called, draining a cup before walking over and doing their complicated handshake. Moments later, Natsu noticed her father standing behind her. "Hey, Papa Heartfilia! You're looking a lot better."

"I feel better," Jude chuckled out. Lucy couldn't stop her eyes from widening at Natsu calling her father by a _nickname_. He seemed to take it in stride, though, stepping forward to firmly shake Natsu's hand. "I take it you've been well, Natsu."

"Sure have," he said with that horribly infectious grin. "I'm glad you're out of the hospital, though. Lucy was looking really worried there for a while."

"Natsu…" Lucy hissed in response. The pinkette turned to her with a confused look, like he wasn't exactly sure what he'd done wrong. Technically, he'd done nothing, but there was just something odd (and admittedly warming) about seeing Natsu saying those things to her father. Jude, of course, was currently laughing.

"You and me, both," he answered. "Thank you for looking after my Lucy for me."

"I always will!" Lucy's face flushed redder than a tomato. It wasn't even that hot today, so she had no idea why she was feeling so warm, tugging at the collar of her shirt. Wendy was looking between both her and Natsu in curiosity, making the whole situation more awkward.

"Glad to hear it," Jude grumbled out with a smile. "Now, where is your mother? I've been meaning to thank her for attending to me at the hospital."

"She's talking with Frozen Pants' mom," Natsu responded flippantly. Lucy's father glanced around, like he was trying to figure out just what the boy was trying to say. When he, obviously, showed no signs of understanding, Natsu sighed. "I'll take you there."

With that, Natsu jerked his head and led her father in the direction of Grandine, leaving Lucy alone with Wendy. The bluenette was still observing her silently, but after a few moments, she seemed to finally gather her thoughts. "Do you like Natsu?"

"Of course I do. He's my best friend," Lucy affirmed quickly. It was a little _too_ quickly, even for her, as if the answer were some kind of auto-response. The whole thing made her face flush further. What was wrong with her internal thermostat? Maybe she just needed a drink of water. Yes, that was it. "Anyway, Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks! Just a couple more years and I'll be in music camp with you guys. Natsu made it sound amazing!"

"It _was_ pretty fun," Lucy admitted. Even with that horrible memory mixed in with all of the others, her overall impression had been of an enjoyable time. "Will you be watching the competitions?"

"Dad had himself put on the music section at the newspaper just so he could cover some of them, so probably, if mama can make it or I don't have too much homework. What about your dad?"

Lucy didn't answer. She'd yet to broach the subject with her father, still afraid of ruining the tentative ground they were standing on. As she opened a can of root beer on the table, she noticed her father speaking with Grandine and the man she presumed was Gajeel's father (she'd never personally met him before). Relaxing a bit at the fact he was being friendly and relaxed himself, Lucy took a sip of her drink, swishing the sugar around in her mouth. In the distance, she could see Gray running (or stripping) from an overzealous Juvia while Erza and Cana were watching the bickering Gajeel and Levy. The only vaguely unfamiliar face was a pink-haired girl that Lucy figured was Chelia Blendy. Taking another mouthful, Lucy breathed in, at least until Natsu slung his arm around her shoulders.

"You. Me. Partners," he said seriously. Lucy's drink came gushing out of her mouth and onto the lawn in shock. What exactly was he saying? Partners? Did he realize-? "Come on, Lucy, let's crush the competition."

"Oh. Three-legged race…right…yeah, sure." Of course, that's what Natsu would be talking about. She didn't know why her mind was thinking anything different. Competitions were always a staple of any Dragneel party. Last year she'd teamed up with Levy and Erza (separately, of course). Teaming up with Natsu, therefore, proved to be a very different experience for her.

He was like the middle ground between Levy and Erza: driven to win, but not to the point of breaking his partner in half. Really, it was obvious he just wanted to beat Gray and Juvia (who was surprisingly into the competition). They ended up tying most of the events, leading to more fights, one of which Lucy was still attached to Natsu for. Her face was red the whole time, a fact which didn't go unnoticed by Cana.

To this point, it was impossible to ignore once she got home. Natsu was having a strange effect on her. If she were honest, he'd had an effect on her ever since they'd made up. Then there was Wendy's innocuous comment about whether she liked him or not. Lucy groaned into the silence of her room, which happened to attract the attention of Loke. She debated talking to him about it, until she remembered what a Casanova he was. That killed any thoughts of it on the spot. She did accept his invitation for ice cream, though, despite having had two pieces of cake (Natsu had snarked at it, blamed it on Happy and got a face-full of cake for his troubles).

When school resumed on Monday, any conflicted ideas on her relationship with Natsu were gone. Instead, she had to deal with the devil, herself: Minerva Orlando. Ever since Fairy Tail's win at camp, Minerva had attained a new level of bitchiness. Most of it was subtle, but the parts that were more blatant were often directed at Lucy. For some reason, the heir to Orlando Aeronautics appeared to have singled her out. The only one who got seemingly more attention from "the black-hearted bitch", as Cana coined her, was Erza. At first, the nasty little tricks weren't so bad…until lunch that Wednesday. Lucy wasn't sure how, but Minerva was able to convince her guildmate, Rufus, to kick his trumpet case out just as she was walking by. She got a hair full of hamburger from it.

"You look like you should be in a ketchup commercial, Heartfilia," Minerva remarked callously. "Then again, maybe that would suit you, since neither you, nor your father, have any considerable talent."

"At least I don't look like a reject from Fiore's Top Bitches," Lucy snapped. The tables around the area got quiet, and Minerva looked livid. She even stood with a snarl on her face. The blonde wouldn't have been surprised if Minerva had tried to kill her right there (considering she was shocked at herself), were it not for Laxus' intervention.

"Whoa, let's simmer down, ladies," he said, coming up behind Lucy and putting a hand on her back. Minerva looked severely off-put by this interruption. "We don't want to start anything here. It would give the band program a bad name."

"Tch," Orga, a big, burly Saber Tooth member, replied. Laxus took that as the signal to steer Lucy away.

"You all right?" he asked as they headed for what was undoubtedly known as the Fairy Tail Table.

"Yeah, just a little ketchup. Maybe I could pass for Erza now," Lucy joked dryly.

None of the boys seemed to get the joke. From that moment forward, it was like Lucy had a rotating shift of bodyguards whenever Minerva was around. Natsu and Gray took the most rotations, and by the end of the week, Lucy was already prepared to blow her top at all of them. Sure, the protectiveness was sweet, but normalcy was far preferred. Only Loke seemed to get this…though he spent much of his time flirting. It only got worse the day before their second competition of the season (they'd won their first) when she saw almost all five of her guards outside her locker.

"Seriously? !" she screeched. "I can take care of myself! Get out of here before I Lucy Kick you in the face. I can handle Minerva Orlando and her nastiness just fine."

Little did the freshmen know that Minerva's nastiness was on the tame end of things. That particular surprise hit them like a freight train at their second competition. It started off similar to the first one: a disorganized mess of chaos that became a cohesive marching group performing in the first half. The break for dinner was where it changed, all with a callous laugh that sent shivers down even Erza's spine.

"Is this all that the Fairies could let in this year. They're nowhere near your level, Erza," mocked a callous voice. Lucy looked up from her poker game with Natsu, Gray and Levy (which wasn't strip poker, despite Gray's pants being off). She saw a mass of probably twenty students her age or slightly older, including the familiar faces that were Angel and Zancrow. That alone made her stomach turn. The girl that had spoken, a girl with green hair who had her arm around another girl and looked like she belonged more in a strip club than a band program.

"Kyôka," Erza spat. "The freshmen are just as good, if not better, than I am."

"Yeah? They look puny!" mocked a blue-haired boy with crazy eyes. Lucy made a mental note to stay away from him.

"Don't call us puny!" Natsu declared. "We're the Magnolia Music Program, and we're the best! Better than…whoever the hell you guys are." Lucy resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Kahahaha, this guy's a real fireball, considerin' how stupid he looks. Get the _fuck_ off me, Lamy," said a boy whose hair looked almost cat-like. Zancrow approached him and leaned on his shoulder with a smirk. Lucy, meanwhile, locked eyes with Angel, who shrugged.

"Told ya, didn't I? Dragon dung for brains here actually thinks he brings something to the table!"

"Quit your damn hollerin'!" snapped Cobra. "Can we move on? A conversation between idiots isn't exactly worth listening to."

"I'm not an idiot, snake boy," Natsu contested. No one listened to him. The lead girl, Kyôka, just scoffed.

"Let's move on. Take care, Erza. Hope nothing _unfortunate_ happens." She then led the group of students far away from them, leaving the group in silence. Finally, Erza sighed. That seemed to be the sign for questions to be asked, though only one of them appeared bold enough to do so.

"Who the hell were those punks?" Gajeel snapped, eyeing their backs as they retreated into the distance. None of the older students apparently wanted to answer the inquiry from the younger group. Erza eventually decided to, though.

"The Balam Demons," she answered with a scowl. Her response appeared to just confuse them all, and Lucy was no different. She did hear the name again, though, taking second place in the competition. That alone began to give a clue as to who these people were in relation to them. The freshmen finally got a better explanation from Mira, complete with a diagram on a dry erase board that she summoned form midair, when they were on the bus ride home.

"The Balam Demons are one of the top marching bands in Fiore, and definitely in the southern area," she began to explain. Her lines were squiggly from the bumps on the road, but Lucy was able to make _some_ sense of them. "They're made up of three schools that are ultimately too small to have a marching band of their own."

"Let me guess," Lucy commented with a surly fold of her arms, "two of them are Grimoire Prep and the Oración Seis School of the Performing Arts?"

Mira nodded, which prompted a question from Elfman. "Then what's the third?"

"Tartaros Academy," Gray told them, earning numerous looks from his guildmates. "My dad went there."

"Anyway," Laxus rumbled out, "they're our biggest competition, and if you guys thought Minerva was bad, they're worse. Keep your friends and instruments close. Just ask Jellal and Erza."

Lucy's gaze slid over to their resident redhead, who appeared to be visibly shaking. Jellal, a blue-haired baritone player in Fairy Tail, had an arm around her. She hadn't had a chance to speak to the boy before, but his feelings for Erza were obvious enough. The information they received, however, put a damper on any sort of victory they had achieved. Not only did all of them feel threatened by the Balam demons, but each of them was angry: clearly something had happened between Erza and Kyôka to leave the stoic girl a practical mess. Even worse was Lucy learning that the head of one of the schools, Grimoire Prep, was a man named Precht "Hades" Gaebolg, a former founder of the Magnolia Music Program. It was such a shame, because all of the old articles suggested he had been a kind guy.

On the other hand, their encounter with "the enemy" as Natsu and Cana had called them, lit a fire in all of them. At their tavern meeting the week before Nationals (which they had gotten into), Makarov saw fit to comment on this.

"I'm surprised we managed to take first in that last competition," he said with his usual pint. The teenagers were barely paying attention, each huddled into groups to work on homework. "You brats have really been stepping up your game lately."

"We can't let those stupid demons beat us!" Natsu proclaimed before returning to his paper football game with Gray. Lucy put a stop to it by catching the projectile and shoving it in Natsu's mouth. He apparently decided it was a good idea to lick her hand, which grossed her out and made her flush.

"That's the spirit, Natsu," Gildarts said nonchalantly from the bar counter. "Now come and spend time with your daddy, Cana."

"Back off, old man! I'm drinking here!"

The tavern shared a laugh at the Clive family's antics, but it was next to the only laugh they shared before Nationals in Crocus. Lucy had to admit that when she got there, that it was much larger than anticipated. The stadium they performed in was packed to the brim with people, like one would expect for a sporting event, and they were just in high school. Then again, Lucy figured that if they could hold a competition within their band alone, it had to be big.

Nothing could top the big surprise that evening, after they were cleared to head onto the finals.

"Dad?" she squawked in surprise. Sure enough, her father was standing near the hotel with the entire Dragneel family, including Wendy. She reached him quickly enough and hugged him. "I didn't know you were coming! Didn't you have a meeting or something?"

"Rescheduled," he admitted. "Natsu reminded me…rather, he asked his parents to remind me."

"You guys were amazing!" Wendy cheered with shining eyes.

"Of course we were awesome! Let's go eat!" Natsu declared, as though he didn't want to discuss the subject any further. Judging from the embarrassed look on his face, she could imagine why. If what her father had said was true, then it was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her. She had no idea why he'd go out of his way to do it, either, but she appreciated it all the same.

That night saw the members of Fairy Tail and their respective families pretty much reserving an entire restaurant. From an eating contest between Igneel and Silver, to Lucy learning that her father and Gajeel's were officially in business with one another, it was an eventful evening.

However, nothing was more eventful than the day that followed.

It was almost like the ensemble contest, just much larger in scale. They weren't up against these tiny little quartets or ensembles, but against a full array of marching bands. The thought was a little daunting, but the roaring cheers of approval invigorated Lucy. With Levy, Mira and Aries by her side, it became more than invigorating: it became _fun_. That kind of earnest determination and enjoyment must have transferred on to the judges.

"Second place goes to the Balam Demons," announced Chapati, reprising his duties. There was a collective breath held amongst the band. "And the winner of this year's Nationals is the Magnolia Music Program!"

Like with anything, Fairy Tail led the band into a frenzy of cheers. Lucy and Levy found themselves jumping up and down while hugging each other as various members of the band celebrated in different ways. At one point, Lucy was separated from her fellow flutists, but managed to catch sight of Natsu. It didn't take long to bridge the distance between them and she hugged him from behind, her body heating up as it did so.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" he asked, barely even looking back.

"Nothing," she answered. Feeling a rush of gratitude, Lucy leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

 _Winter, Ninth Grade_

Snow settled in shortly after the marching season ended and concert season began. For Lucy, with the snow came a mountain of homework. Now that practice was cut down to school practice until the next semester, Lucy was able to focus on the impending finals, along with Gray's birthday (which so happened to fall on the first day of winter) and the upcoming announcement of the contest season. A different kind of preparation struck before that announcement.

"You're not having your business partners over this year?" Lucy asked over dinner with her father.

"I see no need to," he commented as he cut through his steak. "I made it very clear to the board that my family takes precedence when I returned. Speaking of, what do you say to inviting all your friends and their families. This house has more than enough space."

"Okay!" Lucy chirped happily. Maybe this Christmas would be different.

The next day had Lucy delivering the message to all her friends, most of whom met it with enthusiasm. The only one who seemed to really decline was Jellal, on the basis of a family vacation. All in all, it seemed it would shape itself into a wonderful party that everyone could anticipate. That afternoon, they got something else to anticipate.

"We have the official list of contests for the year, starting in late January," Makarov announced to the group as a whole. Lucy's own attention, and even Natsu's, was riveted to him. "There are two major contests that _every_ guild will participate in, but of the other three, only Fairy Tail will have their pick. Also, everyone is expected to take part in the Solo and Ensemble Contest in February."

This announcement was met with much muttering and discussion, particularly among the members of Fairy Tail. As it turned out, the other three contests were more focused than the major two: a jazz contest, a brass festival, and a small band contest. After a discussion with Alzack, their guild leader decided to sign them up for the small band in January and jazz band in March. This, naturally, led to a rather obvious decision.

"Time to get the group back together!" Natsu declared. That was definitely the easiest choice to make: they had taken first in the ensemble, proving the freshmen worked well together. They weren't alone in this, since the required size was quite a bit larger, necessitating the addition of Erza, Bisca, Cana, Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow, plus a few others. The agreement was made to begin practice after the Christmas Party.

Said Christmas party arrived sooner than later, and the Heartfilia Manor became the liveliest it had ever been. If only Virgo hadn't been trying to hang mistletoe over every entrance she went through.

"You try it again, and I might actually consider punishing you. Don't you have a love life of your own?"

"Really? ! Punishment would be the true definition of a Christmas present!" Virgo suddenly gushed. Lucy wasn't sure how to react to all that, so she just waved her off and returned to her giggling group of friends.

"Oh, shush, you," Lucy scolded them, tossing the mistletoe to a discreet corner of the house. "Don't you have better things to do?"

"Sorry, Lu-chan, but Virgo is funny to watch," Levy admitted. Lucy scoffed at this.

"Yeah, at my expense," Lucy remarked before shifting topics. "Speaking of mistletoe, was that Bickslow I caught you with underneath, Lisanna?"

"Maaaybe," Lisanna teased with an adorable flush of her face. "It just happened."

"Yeah, just like Gajeel resting his head on Levy's lap 'just happened'," Lucy commented sarcastically. "I want details, but in just a bit. My soda's empty and I'm thirsty."

"Not cool, Lu-chan!" Levy whined out. Lucy smiled back and decided to head for the kitchen. She wasn't the only one there: Loke was leaning casually against the counter as Lucy dug into the fridge.

"You look happy," he noted. Lucy retreated with an orange soda and closed the fridge. "It's good to see."

"Thanks," Lucy remarked. Loke stood and began walking over to her. "How've you been?"

"Oh, you know, the usual: stuck between two beautiful ladies." Lucy chuckled at that before realizing that Loke was incredibly close. Too close.

"What are you doing, Loke?" she asked, her pitch flying all over the place.

"Mistletoe," he said. Then he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Lucy stiffened…but felt nothing. His lips didn't burn against her skin; her face didn't flush; her body didn't tremble. It was over before she'd even really realized it was happening. "Merry Christmas, Lucy."

Loke left the room, but she didn't. Had that really just happened? The blonde was so lost in her own thoughts that it took him calling her for Lucy to realize Natsu had stumbled into the room. By the time she did, he was standing in front of her, like he wanted to get into the fridge. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Soda, Lucy. I want some," he said, pointing at the fridge. Lucy nodded absently and moved aside so Natsu could grab his drink. "Oh, can't forget or Erza'll kill me."

The pinkette closed the fridge door, grabbed Lucy's shoulders, and kissed her on the cheek.

Fireworks went off in her brain.

* * *

 **Author's Note: After being stuck on summer for so long, it's nice to move on to a different season again. Obviously, this chapter was more of one showing that Lucy is starting to feel differently for Natsu but isn't realizing it (in denial). Of course, because this is from her point of view, we don't know what's happening with Natsu. It also introduces Tartaros Academy into the story (for whatever role they'll play) and caps off the Laxus character arc I presented. Next chapter we'll be finishing ninth grade up. Hope you all enjoyed, and I'd love it if you left me a Review and, as always, Dare to Be Silly.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Once more I get to throw in references that were made in Musical Chairs! Either way, I had a fun time with this chapter, and I hope you do, too! Chapter 11 time!**

* * *

Chapter 11

"Okay, Lucy, don't freak out. Don't freak out," she was saying to herself, like a mantra. The blonde really wasn't sure of how well it was working, or if it was even working at all. She was sure that she was wearing a hole in the floor, however. At the very least, her room floor looked like it had indentations of her footprints from all her pacing. Giving a glance over to the clock, Lucy noticed it was after midnight, well after all the guests had departed…well after _Natsu_ had departed. "Gah! No!"

What was _wrong_ with her? Why was she freaking out over a little kiss on the cheek? For that matter, why on earth did her brain feel like it was exploding? Loke certainly didn't make her feel flushed and flustered with the exact same action, and she had reason to suspect that his was more than platonic. But Natsu…she knew that the lovable drummer had an unhealthy obsession with fire, but she never expected his lips to burn like it. Just the very thought of that brief minimal contact set her own face ablaze.

"Come on, Lucy, it's just Natsu," she said, maybe a little louder than she'd intended. "Yeah, just Natsu. It was probably a dare between him and Gray. Ha ha…That's right…"

So, why was it that a little voice inside her head insisted that she was lying to herself? Maybe she just needed to talk to someone about this strangeness. Mira was _definitely_ out, as was Lisanna due to relation. Juvia was a big no-no, as she didn't want to endure a solid hour of her "Gray Diary". Levy was certainly an option, but Lucy didn't want to wake her at this hour; and if she was awake, she'd likely be chatting with Gajeel. Cana, drunk blabbermouth; Evergreen, she didn't know very well; Bisca, couldn't even handle a boy she was in love with. That really just left…

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Erza asked with a wide yawn after she picked up the phone. Lucy could have sworn she heard a squeak on the other end, like a rubber duck.

"Um…I just…" Lucy couldn't even articulate a proper sentence now. Great. "Natsu sort of kissed me on the cheek tonight. It was…odd…and kind of flustering."

"Probably because I told him to," Erza confessed. Lucy nearly dropped her phone and had to stop herself from swearing.

" _You_ did?" Lucy asked incredulously. "Why would you do something like that? I mean…just…what? _Why_?"

"I doubt he meant anything by it, Lucy," Erza yawned off. "I told the boys that they had to engage in the festivities of the season, which included kissing anyone they found under the mistletoe. Now that I think about it, that was probably the reason that Gray was avoiding the mistletoe like the plague." Lucy almost snorted at that one: no doubt Gray was really just avoiding Juvia. "I'll have to have words with him…How dare he ruin the spirit of Christmas?"

"Erza, you do realize that Christmas is about giving, right? Not mistletoe?"  
"Don't besmirch my ideas of lust and romance by a log fire in a snowstorm with your pagan thoughts of Christmas, Lucy!" The blonde didn't have the heart, or the bravery, to tell Erza that her ideas were the pagan ones.

"You just miss Jellal, don't you?" she teased instead. The redhead must have become a mess, judging by her completely incoherent spluttering. It was enough to make her completely burst out laughing.

"Enough of this, Lucy. I…I'm done listening." Lucy stopped her guffawing in time to hear Erza's parting words, though she certainly wished she hadn't. "Oh, and if you're freaking out like this, I'd guess that you have a crush on Natsu. Quite honestly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Looks like Fried might have won that bet."

"Wha…?" Before she could ask just what Erza meant, the older girl ended the call. Sitting back against the pillows on her bed, she tossed her phone onto her covers. A crush? On Natsu? It was positively preposterous. Natsu was her best friend and nothing more. That burning sensation must have been gratefulness or happiness, and certainly not any sign of actual attraction. "That's just ridiculous…"

Yet, as she stared up at the ceiling and the star-spattered walls, Lucy's mind slipped into a bizarre version of the future. One where she and Natsu were side by side, like always, only with rings on their fingers and all of their friends clapping and crying. Of Wendy sobbing because she was Lucy's little sister for real now. Of she and Natsu holding a precious little girl with pink ha…Wait a minute. Lucy's eyes snapped open wide, the flush phasing through her entire body. She needed to scream.

"I AM _NOT_ IN LOVE WITH NATSU!"

"Shut up, damn brat!" yelled Aquarius from a room nearby, sounding a little drunk. Definitely not wanting to incur the wrath of the blue-haired vixen, Lucy decided to forego thinking for the rest of the night by going to sleep. She just hoped that her thoughts about Natsu would be gone as well.

To that extent, she had much luck and found her next week to be relatively Natsu free. Then came the New Year's party.

"A scavenger hunt? What are we? Five?" Lucy expressed as Mira walked around with a can of straws.

"I thought it'd be a fun way to celebrate the new year. Now, pick a stick." Lucy had a niggling suspicion that Mira was up to something with all this when she picked out a colored stick that perfectly matched Natsu's. She would have thought nothing of it, if all the other couples weren't also on Mira's "Favorite Couples" list. "The pair that finds the most items wins a whole box or bag of chocolates."

"Come, Cana! Let us win!" Erza roared triumphantly. Cana just tipped her bottle back.

"Wish we coulda won some booze…"

"Let's do this thing, Lucy! We'll beat the smirk off ol' Frosty! I'm all fired up!" Natsu said and he began to drag her off. She fought down the heat in her face and instead focused on deciphering their scavenger hunt list. Levy and Gajeel were already hard at work with their own exact same skill set: brains and brawn. For some reason, that got Lucy fired up competitively within seconds. Pushing aside the tension in her chest, Lucy began to quickly decipher clues. Sure, it led to predictable fights between all the boys, some of them only ending when Erza arrived with threats and walked away with the prize. Lucy even once had to avoid a cat fight with Juvia, who seemed to be screaming, "Stay away from Juvia's man!" in her deranged state.

By the end of the hunt, all of them seemed to be in a dead heat for first place, which culminated in truly checking out all the weirdest places, including a rather posh linen closet in the Strauss household. At least, that was what Lucy deciphered from the list she had been given. "Are you sure you can't find anything?"

"I'm not a bloodhound, Lucy!" Natsu snapped as a stack of towels fell on his head. Lucy giggled at the sight, and took a moment to peer down the hall to make sure no one else had cottoned on to their location. "Why don't you help me?"

"All right…" Lucy sighed out, turning into the closet to help. She must have been searching for no more than thirty seconds, before the door seemed to close behind her, trapping the duo in complete darkness. "Natsu…"

"Wasn't me," he said defensively. It must have been true, considering that she heard him furiously jiggling the doorknob. It hardly looked to be doing much of anything. "Stupid door! Tundra Brain, if this was your idea of a joke, I'll kick your ass!"

"Seriously doubt it was Gray," Lucy huffed leaning against a stack of towels. Natsu must have stepped away from the door, because Lucy could suddenly feel his body against hers. All too quickly, she heated up and became very grateful that nothing could be seen in the tight, dark closet. _Ugh…this is some kind of cliché sick joke…_

"Hey, I think I hear something," Natsu whispered. From the crack of light underneath the door, Lucy could hear murmured voices, which caused her to get on her knees next to Natsu in order to listen.

"You can be one hell of a demon. You know that, Mira?" Lucy scooted a little closer to Natsu to get somewhat closer to the voices. Never one to shy away from physical contact, Natsu put an arm around her so their faces took up less space…which really just meant their faces were closer together. Either way, she was certain it was Laxus talking. "They're going to kill you when they get out."

"They'll thank me later," Mira said cheerfully. Lucy scowled; she _knew_ Mira had ulterior motives.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Now, are we making out or what? It's going to be midnight in less than a minute."

Their voices faded away shortly after that and Lucy punched angrily at the door. "I _knew_ she was up to something."

"Damn…didn't think Mira could be so sneaky," Natsu said, finally separating their faces from one another. "Oh, well, if I had to be stuck in a linen closet for New Year's Eve, I'm glad it was with you, Lucy!"

"Uh…you do?" Lucy squawked out as a response. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt the exact same way. There was a slight clatter next to her and it seemed like Natsu was trying to hug her when chimes sounded through the house. Only the hug missed, and instead his lips brushed against hers.

He said nothing. She said nothing.

And Lucy tried to pretend it, and the steam from her heated up face, had never happened.

* * *

When school returned a week later, Lucy was very happy. For one thing, it meant she no longer had to deal with whatever agonizing thoughts of Natsu were plaguing her brain, due to either time alone or a lack of work. It also helped that the ensemble was in full swing with practice for the upcoming competition. All of this amounted in Lucy completely abandoning most thoughts about Natsu, unless it was talking to him about the contest, or him asking her for help on homework. On top of all this, Lucy was also preparing for her solo piece. This time, she was actually going to play Mira's piece to completion, though she realized it was something she'd never be able to repeat again.

"You know you'll be fine, Lu-chan," Levy pointed out when the two girls were working on homework in her room one day. Lucy was embarrassed to admit that she almost had a meltdown there. "Besides, the Solo and Ensemble Contest is the least of our worries."

"Are you talking about the other contest? Piece of cake," Lucy admitted with a little shrug as she finished writing the final sentence on her English paper. Slipping it into her folder, she looked at her bluenette best girl friend. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…remember the Balam Demons?" Lucy nodded; it was hard to forget _those_ guys. Anyone scary enough to freak even Erza out was pretty unforgettable. "Well, their three schools will be participating, too."

"I would think so," Lucy said, as though it were obvious. "I'm not too worried, even if the rumors are enough to make people cry."

"That's the thing, though, Lu-chan," Levy squeaked out. She sounded genuinely freaked out. "I know I shouldn't have listened, but I overheard Erza and Cana talking one day. Apparently that girl, Kyôka, she and her girlfriend Seilah once found Erza alone in a bathroom and they…"

"Levy?" Lucy asked tremulously when the bluenette seemed none too keen to continue on. Levy shook her head a moment.

"Apparently they did…things…with their instruments. And you know Erza, brave face and all," Levy said. Lucy almost felt like throwing up at the implication of what Kyôka had done to Erza. "I guess if it wasn't for Jellal, she would have fallen apart."

"Then we travel in pairs, especially to the bathroom," Lucy said, swallowing the hard lump in her throat. "Besides, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. We've dealt with Minerva, and you know what our group is like. I'd be more concerned about Natsu, Gray and Gajeel destroying things before I worried about that."

"Ha ha…Yeah, you're right," Levy giggled out. That broke the tension between them and the two girls commenced their monthly book review.

It only hit Lucy how wrong she was when the competition actually happened. They were barely a few feet into the building where the contest was being held than the unwanted reunion took place.

"Well, well, if it ain't the firecracker?" cackled the voice of Grimoire Prep's Zancrow. "And is that Ultear, I spy? When'd you become one of the freakin' fairies?"

"Probably when I realized that working with a fool like you was mind-grating," Ultear answered coolly. Her smile betrayed nothing and she continued walking past. Lucy watched her go while also taking stock of some of the other members of Grimoire Prep. There weren't many, other than an older boy conversing respectfully with Erza and another boy that was almost sparkling with arrogance. Too bad she didn't notice the lump of dough on her arm.

"Hey there, baby," he said. Lucy jumped back, surprised that Tubby was sentient. "You lookin' to get on the Kain Train."

"No. No, I'm pretty sure I'm not," Lucy said, equal parts disgusted and revolted.

"There's no need to be shy, blondie. There's more than enough Kain to go around," the boy, she guessed his name was Kain, said. He certainly had that part right. "So, stop playing hard to get and just admit your true feelings for me."

"Hey, Tubby! She's clearly not interested!" Natsu yelled from the middle of his intense stare down with Zancrow. And here was where Lucy was wrong. She didn't need to worry about the boys destroying stuff, but rather them getting into fights with the enemy and destroying _everything_.

"Who're you calling 'tubby'? I'll have you know that I'm-" Lucy couldn't take it anymore, so she grabbed hold of Natsu and dragged him away before he could do something that he'd truly regret.

Unfortunately, Grimoire Prep wasn't the only school there. In fact, by the time they had all gotten to their practice room, Lucy was fairly certain each of their glares could level the concert hall they were in, plus the surrounding town. Her own glare was certain to send meteors raining down, all thanks to two individuals.

"I see you're looking as shabby as ever, Lucy darling," Angel had aid when Lucy and Levy were on their way to the bathroom. As soon as they heard that, the girls closed ranks. "Your band did quite well at Nationals, though I don't think you'll have the same luck here."

"You'd be surprised," Lucy snapped back, even though Levy was indicating that they should move on. Clearly, Natsu's love of picking fights had rubbed off on her. She stepped forward to smirk at Angel, who was easily smirking back. "Don't forget that you guys lost to us last year, too."

"Times are different," Angel commented, her eyes flashing dangerously. At this moment, Levy finally succeeded in pulling Lucy away and into the restrooms. When the two girls emerged from the bathroom, Angel was gone, giving them a free pass back to their practice room.

"It's bad enough having to restrain Gajeel, but now I might have to restrain you, too?" Levy said in exasperation. Lucy frowned, but also couldn't stop herself from laughing a little. "It's not funny, Lu-chan. Remember what I told you about Erza?"

"I know, Levy," Lucy reassured her, patting her on the shoulder. "And I am being careful. Angel really isn't that bad; she likes to put out that she could beat me or do mean things to me, but that's just a persona."

"Yeah? And how can you be sure of that?"

"Because I've met her sister. Though…she may actually hate me for that…" Lucy mused, but then shrugged, as if none of it really mattered in the first place. "Don't worry so much, Levy."

"Isn't that cute? The little blonde think she doesn't have to worry!"  
cackled a voice from further down the hall. That was where Lucy caught sight of the boy, Jackal, his face leering at her. It was admittedly creepy, but Lucy was hardly afraid as he stalked closer to her. "You're associated with that stupid fireball, right?"

"If you're talking about Natsu, then sure, but what's that to you?" Lucy huffed, folding her arms indignantly.

"So, maybe if I hurt ya, the little fireball won't be able to take part in today's festivities," Jackal said, the psychotic smirk hardly leaving his face. "That way, our academy's almost sure to win!"

"Wow, you _really_ don't do your research, do you?" Lucy chuckled out. Her statement happened to make Jackal freeze. "Natsu's not going to stop competing if you hurt me. For that matter, neither am I. It'll just make us more determined to kick your ass."

"That's right, Lucy! So, take a hike before my fist makes you, cat-boy," called Natsu. It was a small bit of relief to see him coming down the hallway where their practice room was. Jackal seemed to finally give a pause at all that, the cocksure smirk turning into a rather obvious sneer. At the very least, he stepped back.

"Well, then, guess we'll face off in the finals…assuming you make it that far," he said before twirling some drumsticks through the air and stalking off. With his departure (and sudden lack of struggle), the trio of Natsu, Lucy and Levy returned to the practice room.

It was pretty obvious how Tartaros Academy and the rest of the Balam Demons operated now.

By the time they were set to go out on stage, it had become increasingly more evident that just about _everyone_ had found someone they'd come into conflict with. Gray had apparently had an icy stare down with a boy named Sawyer, codename Racer; Gajeel with a buff Junior named Torafuzar; Mira actually had a "she-devil showdown" with Kyôka's girlfriend, Seilah. Natsu seemed to have racked up the most animosity between Cobra, Zancrow and Jackal while Erza was apparently on decent terms with Midnight of Oración Seis, and the boy she had been talking to earlier.

If anything, the whole adventure fired them all up to do their very best. That's what Lucy was sure of, considering they had given their best performance to date. None of it stopped the four schools from all glaring daggers at one another, even the three that were in an alliance. That pretty much lasted until the results were announced.

Magnolia High won, but at the end of the day, Lucy felt a far more important result had occurred from the contest: Fairy Tail had pretty much declared war on the Balam Demons.

* * *

 _Spring, Ninth Grade_

By March, the contest season was in complete swing, leaving Lucy with barely any time to breathe, let alone think. Not that this was the worst thing, but it was certainly getting the better of her at times. In some occasions, Levy felt like her little lifeboat of safety with how well she was handling things. Only a semester and a half into their high school careers and people were already calling her the "valedictorian bookworm". It was a little insulting to Lucy's ears, but Levy seemed to run with it…though Lucy heavily suspected that it had to do with the fact that Gajeel called her it. If those two got any closer, Lucy figured they would probably be sucking face.

They weren't the only ones making supposed strides in their relationships. Juvia had seemed to be stepping up her game (if that were possible) by baking buns for Gray. He had taken maybe one or two, but worried they'd contain some sort of "homemade love potion weirdness"; he seemed to have passed most of them off to Elfman. Lucy had then been privy to a scene of Evergreen slapping the crap out of Elfman with a fan after that. Then there were the sophomores. Even though Lucy didn't really see much of them, from her time in band class it was obvious they were having something…even though they were far more discreet about it than any of their freshmen counterparts. Jellal and Erza were unusually close lately, though they tended to split apart whenever they seemed to feel like anyone was watching. Mira and Laxus, on the other hand, were much harder to figure out. In the last two months or so, they would sometimes be acting almost like Jellal and Erza, while the very next week they'd barely talk to each other.

In other words, it was just like middle school. The only major difference was the rumor that Lisanna had gone on a date with Bickslow. The white-haired girl refused to confirm or deny anything. One thing was obvious, though: Lisanna had certainly gotten over Natsu.

Now, Lucy just had to figure out what was going on between herself and the pink-haired firecracker.

"Honestly, Natsu, I don't know how you can compose such brilliant pieces and figure out our science homework in a second, but your writing skills are abysmal," she said to him one evening. Her father was working late at the office that night, and Lucy decided to have dinner with the Dragneels. Thankfully, she had managed to get the flushing and inappropriate thoughts down to a bare minimum, and her friendship with Natsu had returned to normal.

"Because I don't care 'bout any of that stuff," Natsu expressed with yawn. He swung his legs over to drape across her own. She had half a mind of pushing them off, but didn't when she saw how comfortable he was. "Besides, you're around to do all that stuff for me."

"I won't always be around, Natsu," she scolded him, crossing out huge parts of his paper with a red pen.

"Why not? I thought we'd always be together," he confessed. The flush returned, but only slightly. "We're a team."

"Well, yeah…but…" Natsu was watching her in interest, yet for the life of her, she couldn't explain herself. Didn't he understand that one day they _couldn't_ be best friends? That they'd get married or just go in different directions? Then again, it was Natsu, who had the optimistic mindset of a child. "Natsu…"

"What are you two up to?" Wendy asked from the entrance to the living room.

"Just chillin'…oh crap! I sound like the stripper…" Natsu expressed, his face drawn into one of abject horror. That broke the tension of the moment, causing Lucy to laugh and the previous topic of discussion to be forgotten.

It was a good thing, too. The contests they were thrown into for the following weeks just got more and more intense. After Alzack had led Fairy Tail through a narrow victory against the Balam schools in the Brass Festival, and Bisca seemed set to do the same for the Jazz contest, all attention was drawn onto the major contest of the year in mid-April (along with the concert in May). Even Minerva hadn't given the time to her usual vindictive pleasures, since Saber Tooth was expected to participate. This didn't stop Erza from being confident in their victory.

"Once we've won, we'll have an all-girl's sleepover celebration at Lucy's house," she proclaimed one day.

"Why?" Lucy couldn't help but ask. "And why my house?"

"Because it's big," Erza said simply. "Oh, and we can invite Wendy, to give her a taste of what our school's victory means!"

No one decided to argue with the manic redhead…at first. It was only a few days later that Cana dropped out for some trip (Lucy had a feeling it was to the cemetery), the Strauss sisters supposedly had dates, and Bisca was celebrating with family. Lucy didn't feel any concern; it was better that Cana wouldn't be there to drink her manor dry. Having the other girls over was no problem, especially with her father and Capricorn away on a trip, and Aquarius on vacation with her boyfriend (which was becoming more often the older Lucy got). Of course, they still had to actually help Magnolia _win_ the competition.

So, mid-April quickly arrived. Unlike all of the other contests, this one actually required the entire band to take part in it, which meant everyone piling into a bunch of buses on that day. Thanks to size, it mostly meant that the guilds were all together on a single bus. Although, Lucy was pretty sure that Bacchus Groh, a sophomore drummer for Quattro Cerberus, had snuck onto their bus for a drinking session with Cana. Other than a very brief scolding from Erza, this went largely unnoticed. Similar to Nationals at the end of the marching season, the major contest, known as the "Fiore Concert Spectacular", was held in Crocus and was sponsored by the kingdom itself. Rumor had it that the king was an avid fan of music, and that the princess was no different, apparently being a part of the Crocus Academy of Arts. Naturally, they weren't the only Academy there.

"Fireball and the blonde. Had a feeling I'd be seeing you here," Jackal snarled out upon seeing them.

"Oh, yeah? Wanna finish where we left off?" Natsu said gleefully, cracking his knuckles. Lucy just grabbed him by the ear and began to drag him away.

"Not today, Natsu. No getting our school disqualified," she scolded him. He pouted at that, but nothing was deterring her from dragging him away. Jackal's psychotic laugh followed after them.

"That's right! Magnolia's fairies are just a bunch of cowards!"

"And their bimbos have stupidly big boobs! I wonder if they'd just go flat if we poked them with an instrument!" Lucy let go of Natsu, entirely intentionally. How dare someone call her a bimbo? ! Especially when she was only second in the class behind Levy, of all people. And how was it her fault that nature had given her the body she had? The insults still grating at her, she turned around to see if Natsu had punched Jackal's lights out yet. Instead, she found Laxus holding him like a sack of potatoes and dragging him.

"No fights, Natsu. Save the teeth punching for after we win," he was admonishing the pinkette.

"Come on! Come on! Let me smash him! I'll roast his ass!" Natsu was screaming, kicking and flailing under Laxus' hold. "I'm no coward! And Lucy's not a bimbo! How dare he-"

"Little fireball's got some energy," Jackal continued to laugh out while the girl with him attached herself to his arm.

"You're so cool with your insults, Jackie!"

"Seriously, Lamy; fuck off already." That was the last of their exchange that she heard, because with his other hand, Laxus started pushing her away as well. He didn't let go of either of them until they were in the practice room. While Lucy was able to eventually let go of her own negative feelings (prompted by her snapping at Levy), Natsu appeared to hold onto his rage up to, and presumably through, their performance. It ended up working in their favor.

Natsu turned rage into passion and poured all of his energies into making his performance amazing. Naturally, Lucy was entirely focused on her own performances, but it wasn't hard to listen to Natsu's drum solo, or his xylophone accompaniment that had this resonance to it. Only when he was done did his rage seem to subside, but Lucy had to admit she was impressed. Not that she wasn't always impressed; his high energy and tendency to put two hundred percent into everything he did was something to be admired. She was just doubly impressed here.

Lucy even told him that at lunch while they were waiting for the final results.

"You are?" he responded with, a rolled up taco halfway to his mouth. "Well, you're pretty great, too. Maybe we should try out for one of those experimental competitions one day. We'd make a kickass team."

"No doubt!" Lucy agreed, giving him a high five. She was soaring inside, thinking of that kind of possibility. Maybe it was the possibility of experimenting with her music, or maybe it was the chance to work just with Natsu. All she knew was that it all made her extremely giddy, even more than the results for the contest being posted. As could be easily deduced, Magnolia was able to more or less sweep the competition. Only Quattro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus were edged out by Tartaros and the Oración Seis respectively. That kind of victory essentially turned the ride back to Magnolia into a party bus.

"Suck it, Oración Seis!" Gray yelled as he, Natsu and Gajeel uncharacteristically danced in the middle of the raving bus.

"Yeah! Fuck off, Grimoire Prep!" Gajeel chimed in.

"And screw you, Tartaros!" Natsu finished, the three boys fist bumping.

Lucy watched the whole scene with laughter. She felt she would never forget that moment: the laughing, the dancing, and the general joys of celebration. It would have made for a wonderful scene in a book, and the blonde committed it to memory so that she could write it down later. Especially Natsu. She saw every moment of his be so animated and lively; from his sparkling onyx eyes to his laughing even as he resisted the urge to vomit. That alone could bring a smile to her face. It only made her wonder all the more what had really driven him to give one of the best performances he had ever given. She never asked.

They arrived at Magnolia in the late evening, splitting apart in their euphoria. As Lucy waited for Virgo and the car to arrive, the other girls had clustered near her with their bags. From there she could see the Strauss siblings heading off with their dates (Mira's surprisingly not being Laxus), likely to the tavern. She didn't watch them go very far, however, as Virgo soon arrived with the car (or "super stretchy limo" as Erza put it) and the girls piled inside. They arrived at the manor very shortly after, but Virgo stayed at the entranceway.

"Sorry, Princess," Virgo said with a light bow. "I know that your father asked me to look after you, but some friends and I were hoping to meet up." Lucy didn't want to ask what kind of hobbies that entailed.

"It's no problem, Virgo. Have fun." Virgo then left and Lucy locked the door behind her, walking over to the living room where everybody was setting up, even Wendy, who had apparently arrived early.

"Did you win? Did you win?" she was asking excitedly while bouncing up and down joyously.

"Yes, Wendy!" Erza replied, even if her delivery was a little hammy. "We tasted the sweet joys of victory! Now let us celebrate!"

"We could watch some movies," Levy suggested offhand. Wendy just clapped her hands, clearly very happy over the girls winning and subsequently including her. Lucy thought it was adorable.

"I have a better idea," Erza proclaimed and she seemed to zip out of the room. Lucy quirked an eyebrow, and just seconds later, Erza had returned…with bottles of wine or some other alcohol in her hands. "Virgo leant me the key, bless her soul."

"Juvia is underage," the bluenette pointed out. Erza kept twinkling and smiling.

"Everyone, but you, is underage, Erza," Lucy saw fit to remind the girl. It didn't dampen her excitement in the least

"Come now, girls! Let's live a little! We have something to celebrate," Erza insisted. Sharing a look with the three bluenettes in the room, Lucy realized that Erza was very much not going to let the issue go. Knowing this, Lucy sighed.

"Fine! But just one for celebration," she said, moving towards the kitchen for some glasses.

"That's the spirit, Lucy!" Once she returned with the glasses, Erza was immediately filling them up and gleefully handing them off to all the others, even Wendy, who was staring at it in disgust. "Just think of it as apple juice, Wendy."

That sent the snowball rolling.

It all started off at that one glass, which wasn't too bad (though Lucy rather disliked the taste), except for Wendy getting a little woozy on her feet. Then they decided to watch a surprisingly raunchy TV series that Erza had brought with her. Everything went to hell after Erza more or less started a drinking game, and considering that Lucy felt the show was going to kill her brain cells anyway, she was more than happy to take a drink. The characters swore, take a drink. A lewd sex scene, take a drink. Someone dies in the episode, finish a bottle.

Wendy was out cold mumbling about "pretty flying kitties" before the end of the first episode.

Were Lucy still operating at full brain capacity, she would have shut it down then. But she wasn't. And she didn't. Instead, they made it through three episodes and about five bottles before Levy, giggling madly, hit the remote and shut it off.

"See…ishn't thish fun?" Levy giggled out before she suddenly took her shirt off. Lucy was too far gone to notice, her hands reaching for her phone. She was only interrupted by the sounds of sobbing.

"What…what's wrong, Juuuuuuvia?" Lucy asked, her voice going a pitch higher at the end.

"Gray-sama doesn't love me!" she cried out. Lucy's limbs felt too heavy to stop Juvia from running off to the kitchen. At this point, Levy's pants were off, too. "Oh, ice cream-sama…you may be frozen, but not as cold as Gray-sama! Will you love me? Will you?"

"Hee hee…Juvia's in love with ice cream," Levy continued to giggle. She left from the room, too, streaking through the house with a giant, "Wheeeee!"

"Silly kitties…" Lucy hiccupped out. She began dialing a number into her phone. "Natsu likes Happy! Happy is a kitty! I wonder if Natsu would like it if I was a kitty?"

"Stop this foolishness!" Erza suddenly shouted, swiping the phone from Lucy's hand and throwing it on the floor, where it broke into pieces. "I will hear nothing of this love! If Jellal and I cannot consummate, you cannot either, Lucy! It's not fair!"

Next, she broke a rather meaningless vase while Lucy dug into Juvia's things for her phone. With her blurry vision, she noticed most of the contacts were related to Gray, but she had a feeling she knew what "Gray-sama's Best Friend" meant. So, she dialed, humming as she tipped back and forth.

"Uh…why are you calling me at almost midnight, Juvia?" came Natsu's voice over the phone. There seemed to be the sound of a loud video game in the background, but Lucy didn't care.

"Natsuuuu…do you, hic, like me?" She truly had no idea what she was asking.

"Lucy? What are you doing with Juvia's phone?"

"Answer the question, hot stuff!" Lucy said with a giggle. "Get it? 'Hot stuff'. Because you're into fire."

"Of course, I like you, Lucy. You should know that by now."

"Then do you looooove me?" There was silence on the other end, and Lucy's giggles turned into a frown. "Have I been a bad kitty?"

"Um…are you all right, Lucy?" Lucy would've answered if Erza hadn't crushed that phone as well.

"Why, Erza? I wanted Natsu to…" With that, she collapsed on the floor.

The next morning was met with five successive hangovers and a completely mortified Erza and Levy.

"Did I run around naked?"

"How much do I have to pay for, exactly?" Erza asked nervously. No one wanted to talk about it…at all. Lucy could barely even remember the events, but she certainly remembered enough to not pick up the house phone when Natsu called. "Never again girls. If I ever bring out alcohol again-"

"Juvia will smother you…" Juvia finished murderously. "To think Juvia cheated on Gray-sama with ice cream! He probably won't even look at Juvia now!"

That was all well and good, but Lucy found herself despairing and focusing on just one thing: why the hell had she been so intent on drunk dialing Natsu?

* * *

 **Author's Note: Denial is a funny thing, isn't it? That said, I have a few notes for this chapter. 1) Yes, the drunk stuff was drawn somewhat from OVA 4, but it was reference in Musical Chairs as this happening, and so…2) We're drawing a lot closer to that summer of Junior Year and so a lot of events are lining up here, most particularly, Lucy starting to realize certain things. Therefore, next chapter should prove enjoyable for, hopefully, most of you. Beyond that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Holy…shit…That reveal in today's chapter floored me. I won't spoil it if you haven't read it yet, though. Needless to say, though: it's big. But for now, please enjoy Chapter 12!**

* * *

Chapter 12

 _Summer, Tenth Grade_

"Lucy, are you mad at me?"

"Say what?" Lucy garbled out, flying away from the desk and the piece of writing she was working on in order to face Natsu, who had once more climbed onto her windowsill. Now, he was just casually letting himself into her room. She was so used to it that she let it slide. "Why would you say that?"

"Because we rarely hang out these days," he confessed, picking up a model of the solar system and looking it over. Lucy frowned, but didn't stop him; he knew by now that if he broke anything, she'd break him.

"Yes, we do. Just the other day we all hung out at the water p-park…" Lucy trailed off, swallowing thickly. Ever since that drunken night in April, her thoughts had been plagued by her decisions to drunk dial her best friend. He seemed to take it all in stride when she told him what had happened (okay, more like he laughed his ass off), but it didn't mean she wanted to be around him all the time. Mostly because of circumstances like this, or the water park…where he was shirtless…and dripping wet. Not that Lucy was into such things, having grown desensitized thanks to Gray, but one could admit that Natsu had a fine physique for his age, and it made her blush. She just blamed that on the heat.

"Not just the two of us," Natsu pointed out. "I mean, it's summer! Music Camp only starts in a few weeks, and I think we've only hung out once outside of our group."

"So?" Lucy questioned, her fingers beginning to twiddle amongst themselves. "Is that the worst thing?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Great!" Lucy chirped, and she started to spin back towards her desk. However, she was stopped mid-turn and spun back to face Natsu. Damn those flushing cheeks! Natsu scrutinized her a moment, like he found something odd with her face. "Uh…is there something wrong?"

"Nope," he answered, but he didn't pull away. "You know, you should grow your hair out. Makes your eyes look prettier."

Lucy was almost certain that the flush reached her neck this time, though Natsu didn't see it, on account of turning away. Giving one last wave, he hopped back out the window, leaving Lucy mired in her thoughts. This was getting far too annoying. She needed to get these thoughts, whatever they were, out of her head. More than that, she refused to entertain Erza's idea, not when the redhead's own love life seemed so helpless. As she thought this, unable to get back to work, her phone suddenly rang out. That was enough to make her put her mind back together so she could answer it.

"How's it going, beautiful?" crooned the dulcet tones of Loke's voice. Lucy frowned at this; he'd been getting far too persistent with the flirting lately. While it made her feel desirable, she hardly had any interest in the school's biggest playboy of all people. Plus, there were Aries' affections to consider.

"It's fine," Lucy lied, still feeling discombobulated from her conversation with Natsu. "Why are you calling, Loke?"

"Guess who just got named guild leader?" the ginger haired boy asked teasingly over the phone.

"Let me guess: you," Lucy replied, her voice fully empty of emotion.

"That's right!" Loke responded, almost like he was surprised that she had figured it out. Not that it was difficult in the slightest. Alzack (and Bisca) had graduated, leaving the guild leader slot open. Loke's rather natural charisma made him a fit for the position. "Hopefully, we'll be able to pull off a strong showing this year."

"I don't think you'll have to worry," she informed him. "You know most of the group is pretty autonomous. Anybody who's chosen to participate will nail it."

"That's true," Loke chuckled out. "By the way, Aries is section leader still. Thought I'd let you know. There was also something I wanted to ask you."

"Go ahead," Lucy sighed out, finally dragging herself back over to her work. She quickly put the phone on speaker so that she could resume her writing.

"Well, you know, it's my last year in high school, beautiful," Loke began. Lucy almost completely ignored him, as rude as it was, fearing he'd go off on another one of his flirting tangents. "And I'm looking into attending my dad's university next year, which isn't all that close to Magnolia. So, with the Festival this year, I was wondering-"

"Is that big brother?" Lucy was jerked away from her writing once again by the sound of Virgo's voice, and the sight of her pink hair popping into the room.

"Oh, hey Virgo," Loke responded over the phone, though he sounded a little disappointed. Lucy's brow just furrowed.

" _Big brother_? ! You're the older one! You're in college, Virgo!"

"What can I say, Lucy? I attract all types." Lucy could only make a noise of disgust at that one.

"Whatever. I'll see you at camp!" Lucy snapped, hanging up the phone viciously before turning to Virgo.

"Punishment?" she asked glibly.

"Just leave…" Lucy said. Virgo did so, and that put a cap on one of the more normal days of her life. The weeks that followed were even more insane than usual. Between memorizing her music, packing up for Music Camp and the time split between her friends and her father, Lucy found it almost all too amazing that she managed to make it to Camp in one piece. It felt good to be back again, only now she was older and not the lowest on the pecking order. Of course, the first thing she saw was Erza bashing Natsu and Gray's heads in.

"Do have fun, Lucy," her father called from the backseat of the car. The limo drew some looks, but most seemed to ignore it, being used to it after the last year. Some even waved to Lucy. "And be safe."

"I'll be fine. Thanks, dad," she replied. "Will you be able to make the Games?"

"The first few days at least," he told her. "Junelle is trying to cause a stir-up between the company and Orlando Aeronautics, so I may have to deal with that. The man just never learns." Lucy actually giggled at that one.

"All right, well, I hope I'll see you then," Giving her father a light kiss on the cheek, Lucy walked over to join her friends, the two boys massaging their heads.

"Why you gotta hit us so hard?"

"Your fists are made of granite…"

"Silence! I'll not have you misbehaving yourselves this year," Erza remonstrated the boys before grabbing Natsu's scarf and Gray's necklace, proceeding to drag them off. Lucy couldn't help but laugh loudly and follow after the trio. Once they'd signed in and hit the field, they were no longer alone, having more or less joined up with all the others in their guild.

"Gray-sama is so wonderful to look at on a hot summer's day!" Juvia gushed. Lucy just patted the delusional girl on the back soothingly.

"Dial it back, Juvia," Levy commented, flipping through a book while they waited for Makarov's speech to begin. Juvia shot a glare at her fellow bluenette while Lucy opted for looking through the crowd of guilds. All of them were obviously familiar faces from Sherry (who seemed to be cuddling with Ren, of all people), to Hibiki and others that she recognized. Most unpleasantly, she noticed the appearance of Minerva, who seemed to still insist on looking over the crowd like they were her subjects, and she the princess.

Shaking her head in minor disgust, Lucy looked over to the incoming freshmen. Most of them looked unfamiliar, but here and there a familiar face was mixed in. Romeo appeared to be in the group, waving madly over at Natsu while Wendy's friend, Chelia, stood next to him. Continuing to scan her eyes along, Lucy caught sight of two boys that looked vaguely familiar, the blond also staring adoringly at Natsu. Then she caught sight of silver hair and her eyes widened. She couldn't be certain, but it looked like Angel's younger sister was there. Not that it mattered all that much, because Makarov was giving his opening speech. Lucy zoned out.

She only came back to the present when she and the rest of the girls were on their way to their familiar cabin. In fact, all of it was entirely familiar. Not a single new face emerged.

"Looks like it's just us, again…shame," Erza commented. It clearly didn't matter much to her, though, because the usually manic redhead dragged them all off to dinner moments later. Dinner, as it turned out, was traveling to the pizza parlor down the road and meeting up with Natsu and the others. Naturally, the world hated Lucy, and she found herself seated next to the pinkette. It was a good thing he was so distracted that he didn't realize the flush on her face every time he brushed against her. Levy, however, was far more observant.

"You realize your face is bright red, right, Lu-chan?" she asked teasingly.

"It's the heat…" she hissed at her friend. That's when she felt Cana sling an arm around her.

"Of course it is…just not the summer heat," she told her with a wink.

"Cana!" Lucy shrieked scandalously, drawing some more attention onto her.

"Somethin' wrong, Lucy?" Natsu asked casually, shoveling a whole piece of pizza into his mouth. It was disgusting, but Lucy still had to fight her blush down. Something was seriously wrong with her. If only she could figure it out before her face exploded.

"Nope. Just hungry!" Lucy commented, nabbing a piece of pizza.

"Well, be careful," he said with a cheeky grin. "Wouldn't want you to get fat."  
"Watch it, jerk!" Lucy snapped, and was about to fling the piece of pizza at him when they were suddenly interrupted by the two boys from earlier approaching them.

"You're Natsu Dragneel, right?" the blond boy asked with enthusiastic eyes. Natsu, true to form, scratched his head with some confusion. "Do you remember me? Sting? Sting Eucliffe?"

"Um…" Natsu articulated. Lucy rolled her eyes. Asking Natsu to remember you after you met him only once was an effort in futility. Sting's face fell. "Sorry, I'm bad with faces."

"You're bad with everything that doesn't involve banging on drums, Magma Breath," Gray countered. Natsu whipped around to glare at him, completely forgetting about Sting, but stopped when he saw the look on Erza's face. Lucy looked over at Sting, his eyes going blank with disappointment.

"Hey, Sting! Roomie! Get your ass back here!" rumbled an all too familiar voice. Everyone at the Fairy Tail table went entirely silent as they realized that Orga was the one who'd said it. All eyes turned to the sight of the current Saber Tooth members lounging about like they owned the place, including Minerva with her vindictive smile. Lucy scowled straight back at her, though she knew it had nothing on Erza. "Stop talkin' to the fairies."

"Why?" asked the black-haired boy. Minerva's eyes flashed dangerously at this question and the boy recoiled. It was obvious what tactics Minerva was using with these new ones. "Right. Sorry, princess…"

With these words, the boy briefly turned to look back, settling on Gajeel a moment, who growled. "Keep lookin' at me like that pretty boy, and you won't have any eyes to look with."

"Come on, Rogue," Sting said, pushing his friend aside. "They clearly don't remember us. Losers…"  
That was the unexpected spark that ignited another war. Lucy leapt upwards in a second, pulling Natsu back from doing something stupid at hearing Sting's words. Gajeel got a little farther before Laxus grabbed his shirt and yanked him back before sneezing. Natsu struggled against Lucy's grip but eventually calmed down with numerous curses muttered under his breath. She could understand why. It looked like Saber Tooth was about to gain two rather nasty additions to their little troupe.

"Don't worry, Natsu," Erza spoke out once they'd sat back down. Lucy noticed multiple plates of strawberry cake sitting in front of her. "We'll settle this in the Games."

"Fine…" Natsu growled out, finally relaxing. "Lucy, you can let go of me now."

"Oh, sorry," Lucy chuckled out before doing so. Shortly after, the guild was on their way back to their cabins, though Lucy noticed that Levy looked rather worried. "What's wrong?"

"I just hope the boys behave themselves this year," Levy admitted. "You saw them. Maybe Natsu got up first, but I'm sure that if a fight started, they would have no problem jumping in."

"Juvia thinks Gray-sama would beat all of them."

"Juvia's delusions notwithstanding," Lucy decided to answer, "I'm sure it would be fine with Erza around. She has a way of keeping them in check."

"Assuming she can hold her own temper," Ultear remarked as she walked past. "Minerva and Saber Tooth in general have a way of making all of you see red."

None of them could deny that evident truth.

The next morning, however, had thankfully banished away most thoughts of Saber Tooth and its likely new recruits. The girls all rose early and had breakfast together, before Lucy and Levy headed to the Flutes section together. Aries was still with them, indicating that she wasn't the section leader of the overall flutes, just the guild. Lucy had no problems either way, forcing herself to suppress a yawn.

"Excuse me, but you're Lucy Heartfilia, right?" asked a rather soft voice from next to her. Lucy covered her mouth to stifle the yawn, and smiled sheepishly at the sight of Angel's sister. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Yukino. I saw you perform in the-"

"Yeah, I remember you," Lucy admitted with a light laugh, "You're Angel's sister. I'm surprised you didn't go to the Seis."

"It wasn't for me," Yukino admitted politely. "I love my sister dearly, but her crowd isn't the best kind to be around. Besides, I was friends with Sting and Rogue, and they-"

"Oh… _Them_ …" Lucy said rather distastefully. She didn't care how rude or disgruntled she sounded. The way the one named Sting had talked to Natsu was just plain rude.

"They really aren't that bad!" Yukino insisted, waving her hands wildly in front of her face. "They're actually quite kind most of the time. I know Sting's a big fan of your boyfriend. It's only…Minerva…"

Lucy knew she probably should have focused on what Yukino said about Minerva and all that, but she didn't. Levy's guffawing made it impossible. "Oh, Natsu's not my boyfriend."

"Really?" Yukino asked in surprise, her fingers covering her lips a bit. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…You both just looked-acted-like you were an item."

"We do?" Lucy asked, and she could swear that her heart was thumping in her chest. "Well, we're not."

"Yet," Levy coughed out. She danced away before Lucy could even fling a glare at her. Yukino clearly got the message, because she dropped the subject without delay.

In the end, Lucy felt that the whole encounter was rather ironic. Yukino was a very sweet, if quiet, girl. She was a complete contrast to the obnoxious guild that Lucy figured she would join. By that evening, her suspicions proved correct. Standing with the rest of her guild (and ignoring whatever was occurring between their brawling band of boys), Lucy watched as Makarov explained the general guild principles. Then he began to read the list off. Sure enough, Yukino was the first student read off for Saber Tooth. Following her was Wendy's friend, Chelia, who joined Lamia Scale. Shortly after was Rogue Cheney to Saber Tooth (again, obvious) before Romeo finally joined Fairy Tail. Lucy cheered with the rest of her guildmates.

Of the freshmen she knew, not many joined Fairy Tail, to Erza's disappointment when her friend Milliana joined Mermaid Heel. Then there was Sting Eucliffe, who was predictably chosen for Saber Tooth. That was hardly odd to Lucy. What was odd were Natsu and Gajeel looking over at the two younger boys, who seemed to glare right back. Clearly something had happened during practice today. None of it mattered when Gildarts gave his usual spiel and left Loke to lead them to the guild hall.

Loke's style of "governing", as Levy liked to put it, was quite a bit different from Alzack's. he was far more laid back, even if he was as determined as the rest of them. He was also focused on the girls, causing Lucy to facepalm. Of course, every girl in Fairy Tail knew the score with Loke Regulus, and only the freshmen were prey to his charms. He even sent a trio of them into titters of laughter when he came to observe them at their sectionals on the second day.

"Quite melodic," he mused with a sultry grin. "I can see why you delicate flowers would choose the flute to play. I wonder which of you will be put up at sectionals."

"I'm sorry, Leo," Aries said timidly, "but can you please let us complete our sectional auditions?"  
"Didn't mean to interrupt," Loke said, sending her a smirk. Aries very obviously flushed from the action. Lucy had enough at that moment. She stood, and began to push the ginger away.

"Okay, lover boy, back to your section," she snapped, pushing him off.

"Fine! Fine!" he exclaimed. "Oh, Lucy, I wanted to ask-"

"Your turn, Lu-chan!" Grateful to get away from the perpetual flirt, Lucy turned away from him and went to begin her own auditions for sectionals.

She truly had no idea how the choices that were made would precipitate what followed.

The signs were all there, though. At first, the week started off with a couple of glares here and there, mostly between the Dragneel cousins and the two freshmen that their upperclassmen guildmates called the "Twin Dragons. Not that they were alone, but they were the most prominent. The bad blood between these two groups quickly filtered through the entire guild. Rufus once cut across Gray during a trumpet practice session in order to prove he was better. Minerva tried to trip Lucy once, only to get a shirt-full of mashed potatoes, and then there was the clarinetist, Dorbengal, who drained all of Fairy Tail's water bottles in secret. They got their own revenge by making a massive group that made him only grab a pack of fries for lunch and dinner. Only Orga and Yukino appeared to recuse themselves from such antics.

Well, Lucy knew that Yukino was too kind to partake in those kinds of activities, but Orga was a different story. He just seemed too bored to do anything, often yawning every few minutes. The only one who seemed to get any sort of reaction out of him was Laxus, and they didn't even play the same instrument. No, most of what Orga did seemed to just be standing in people's way. He was a big guy, and often refused to move if he didn't want to, just to prove a point. Naturally, Lucy was quick to notice that Minerva appeared to be directing them all behind the scenes.

Fairy Tail wasn't the only guild involved. Other "incidents" seemed to beset some of the others' best players with increasing frequency. Lyon somehow got a bunch of jalapeno peppers mixed in with his lunch one day. Bacchus' booze stash was replaced in some freshmen's water bottles and the Trimens…well, Lucy wasn't quite sure what had happened with them, but they looked pretty pissed one morning. The biggest blow-up occurred on the last day of practice at breakfast. Natsu was surprisingly quiet at the meal, looking over at her like he wanted to say something, but continually shutting his mouth. Lucy just continued looking over the professional pamphlet for the Carnival Festival that afternoon. It looked interesting…and even parents were allowed.

"Say it again, bitch!" Lucy and Natsu both looked up to the sight of Kagura blocking Minerva's exit from the room with a fierce look on her face.

"I didn't say anything of note, Mikazuchi," Minerva said derisively. "I merely noted on how drab and pathetic you looked while possibly suggesting your friend Miniana be remanded to a psychiatric facility for her cat obsession."

"No one talks about my guildmates like that!" Kagura insisted, stepping forward to get in the girl's face. "And I'd refrain from speaking, Orlando. You haven't exactly earned yourself goodwill around here."

"As if I'd care to," Minerva laughed out callously. "I am the queen, and you all are my subjects. No matter what your feeble peon brains seem to think, I'm in control here."

"No, you're just a pathetic delusional bitch!" Kagura growled and she slammed on Minerva's foot. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is thy highness injured?"

"You-"

"That's enough!" To no one's surprise, Erza inserted herself between the two girls and pushed them apart with a glare to the both of them. "Kagura, I expected better from you."

"Erza, you can't seriously-" Erza held up a hand to cut Kagura off.

"I'm taking no one's side," the redhead insisted. "I simply don't wish to see you suspended for doing something you shouldn't. And Minerva, just because your father is on the school board does NOT mean you can saunter in here and say whatever you will. You're no one's queen, so stop acting like one. You're just another student."

Minerva said nothing, but the scowl and pure hatred on her face was evident to everyone in the hall as she swept away furiously. Murmurs returned to the cafeteria, obscuring Erza and Kagura's conversation. Lucy took that as the cue to head to the marching field for their final practice of the summer. The three-way confrontation between the top three female musicians in the program was the topic of conversation through the whole entire morning, coming out at every break. It made Lucy grateful to have the chance to go to the pool that afternoon and get away from all that. Decked out in flip-flops and a flower printed bikini, Lucy sat back and watched the boys play some weird version of water polo. Okay, she was really just watching Natsu.

"You're looking even hotter today, beautiful!" crooned Loke's voice. Lucy grimaced and turned to him as he sat on the chair next to her. "So, I wanted to ask earlier, but do you want to go to the Festival together?"

"Huh?" Lucy asked. What was Loke getting at? He certainly looked serious, but before she could answer, the ball used at the pool came flying out of nowhere to hit the fence between them. It rolled across the ground carelessly until Erza stopped it.

"Sorry about that, Lucy!" Natsu yelled out with a grin.

"Behave yourselves!" Erza snapped, kicking the ball back over to them. Naturally, the boys all started to blame each other, causing Lucy to laugh. Her laugh got cut short in moments.

"Out of the way, fairy," grunted the hulking form of Orga as he walked past Erza. Only, he didn't just walk past her. He bumped her violently, and with Erza's feet on water, she slipped, tumbling towards the pool. That wouldn't have been too bad, except for the loud _crack!_ Erza didn't surface at first, but the boys were there in seconds while Lucy and Loke got to their feet. Orga moved on, uncaring, while Lucy reached the edge and helped to pull Erza out.

"Are you all right, Erza?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm quite fi-ow!" Erza had just gingerly touched her arm when her face screwed up into one of pain. Though, with how stubborn she was, she ignored it. "Perfectly fine."

"Her arm's broken," Loke pointed out. That much became obvious when she saw how limp Erza's arm was. Natsu and the others had now climbed out of the pool.

"Hey! Meathead!" Natsu cried. Orga finally stopped, turning back, only now he had the rest of the Saber Tooth Big Five at his back. Lucy glared at each of them. "The hell was that for?"  
"Accident," Orga said with a shrug and another yawn.

"Accident, my ass," Gajeel growled out. "You clearly knocked her in."

"Prove it," Rufus chuckled, and now Gray was stepping forward. "My memory does not fail me, and I can testify that Orga was simply walking past. She got in the way."

"The hell he was! Why didn't he just say 'excuse me' then?" Gray argued. He, Natsu and Gajeel all walked forward angrily, only to be intercepted by Sting, Rogue and Rufus. In the background, Lucy could see Minerva smirking. She _wanted_ this. She wanted a fight to break out, so the boys could get in trouble. Erza appeared to notice the same.

"No fighting," she expressed warningly. Lucy watched with apprehension, hoping that they'd heed Erza's words. Finally, Natsu sighed.

"This isn't over. Hurt my friends again, and I won't hesitate to punch your stupid face next time, Sting," he proclaimed. Then he turned back to look at them. His eyes and face were filled with such anger, but when he saw them, his features softened. Lucy's heartbeat sped up.

And that was it. There was nothing else. Just Natsu with the most tender look she'd ever seen him wear, and it wasn't even directed at her. It was simply a show of the love and kindness that the boy held for so many people. Lucy swallowed as she stood, helping Erza to her feet. Natsu and Gray were there in seconds, grabbing ahold of their oldest friend and taking her away from the staring eyes. Lucy watched them go, clutching at the strings on her bikini.

How had she not seen it? How had she been able to deny it all this time? Lucy felt a little dizzy with the realization hitting her in the head, but she didn't show it. She just watched Natsu's muscular back as it continued to vanish from view. It was all so unsettling, and so unexpected. That's why Lucy knew she had to do something to figure all of this out, even if it was something she usually wouldn't do.

"Loke," she said to the ginger next to her. "I'll go with you. To the Festival."

"Great! I'll swing by the cabin later, then," Loke responded with a grin. Lucy nodded before grabbing her towel and clothes to cover herself up, before running after the terrible trio. Ignoring the thumping in her chest, Lucy made her way to the infirmary only to find that quite a few members of Fairy Tail were there as well.

"You Fairy Tail humans cause no end of problems," the camp nurse, an old woman named Porlyusica, said. "First Laxus gets sick, now Erza breaks her arm. Honestly…"

It was mostly a bunch of gibberish and arguments that followed, but the bottom line was a rather disconcerting one: Laxus had grown violently ill that afternoon, and Erza's arm was certainly fractured. In other words, neither would be able to compete in the Games. Two of their best players were down for the count. All of this worry rested on Lucy's mind as she and the others headed back to their cabins. For the moment, Lucy kept her distance from Natsu, who hardly looked to be in a state for conversation, anyway. Either way, knowledge of what had happened spread, giving a downcast aura around the cabin, broken up only by Loke knocking on the door at Festival time.

"Ready to go, beautiful?"

"Sure," she answered. In truth, she wasn't quite in the mood to go, but Lucy knew she needed to. This thing needed to be sorted out in her brain.

It was a short walk to the wide open fields where the Carnival Festival was being held. Lucy had to admit that it all looked rather impressive. Booths of all colors and sizes were erected everywhere, to the point that Lucy had no idea how she hadn't noticed it before. There seemed to be a lot of stations, like a cotton candy station, which Natsu appeared to be operating. Lucy quickly steered Loke away from that, catching sight of the dunk tank. Gray was sitting atop it with a rather smug look while freshmen failed to hit their marks. She had a feeling that the dark-haired boy would regret it when Natsu came along. Moving on, Loke slipped his arm over her shoulders. Lucy's eyes slid over to his hand, a small frown settling on her face. It wasn't the same. She knew that now.

The pair moved on through the ever growing Festival. They got corn dogs and other food before Loke tried his hand at some ring toss. He wasn't the most accomplished at it, while Lucy landed all three tosses perfectly, earning herself a cat plushie. It instantly made her think of Natsu and Happy. That made her blush, though if Loke saw it, he ignored it. Eventually, the two made their way back by the cotton candy stand.

"Hey, Lucy, want some cotton candy?" Natsu asked cheerfully as his own hand stretched towards the sweet substance. To Lucy's surprise, Aries' hand shot out and prevented him from taking any. He pouted at that, eliciting a giggle from Lucy. "Okay, I get it. Can I take a break?"

"I guess. Sorry, Lucy," Aries said with a light bow. Natsu just hopped over the stand with a grin.

"Great! Lucy, you wanna explore the Festival together?" he asked gleefully. That was the final confirmation that Lucy needed: the yearning to go with Natsu in that moment. She didn't, though.

"Sorry, Natsu, but I'm here with Loke," she replied.

"Oh." His grin faltered for a moment, before springing right back. "Well, I think I saw Ice Lips by the dunk tank, and I've got a killer throw." He then walked off with a cackle. Lucy threw a glance to Aries, who avoided her gaze, and then walked on with Loke. They finally stopped and sat down near the edge of the Festival.

"Thanks for doing this, Lucy," Loke commented, "but it's Natsu, isn't it?"

"What are you-?" Lucy whipped around, confused, to see Loke smiling softly. He patted her knee kindly.

"I've liked you, Lucy, but I knew I could never have your heart," he told her. "It belongs to someone else, and he deserves it."

"You _do_ have somebody's heart," Lucy pointed out. "But yeah…it's not mi-"

"What are you insinuating? !" A loud and argumentative pair of voices was quickly approaching, drawing the teens' attention away as they noticed the diminutive form of Makarov storming around the edges of the Festival. A hulking man was with him. "I will _not_ let you tell me what to do with my program, Orlando!"

" _Your_ program? The board makes the decisions," the man grunted out. "They've decided you need to take care of this. Those three are menaces and should be taken out of the program. The board will not hesitate to impose restrictions should you fail to comply."

"You're one…" Their voices now faded, but Lucy's brow was scrunched in concentration. She wondered what it all meant, but after some nudging from Loke, she abandoned it. Despite the two having reached a very easy understanding, they continued to enjoy the Festival together, even seeing Natsu dunk Gray and get chased around by the half-naked trumpet player. The usual duo provided a bundle of laughs, especially without Erza there to remonstrate them. By the time Lucy returned to the cabin that night, she felt lighter.

If only she'd remembered that one conversation.

Like usual, the group of girls all headed to the guild hall together, ready to win the Games, even as they yawned loudly. In fact, they were all set to march off when Makarov arrived in the hall, a rather grim look on his face. His announcement was even more grave, stunning Fairy Tail into relative silence. "Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, you're suspended."

"The hell?"

"The fuck?"

"Why, gramps? We're up for sectionals!" Natsu asked angrily, folding his arms. Makarov appeared to sigh tiredly.

"I'm forced to suspend you on account of a brawl you started at the pool," he answered robotically. "We have eyewitness testimonies, so there's no arguing. Pack up your instruments and head for the stands."

The old man didn't le them get a word in edgewise before he left, still acting like a robot. Finally, Lucy understood the conversation. Minerva and the thugs from Saber Tooth had disseminated lies to her father, who used the power of the school board to suspend their three best remaining players. This very thought passed around the band with anger, even making Lucy's own body quake. Not that they had the time, as the Games were about to begin. Natsu caught her on the way out.

"Give 'em hell, Lucy."

"Right…I'm fired up, now."

It was too bad she couldn't make her words a reality. With five of their best members missing, Fairy Tail lost by three points. It was a disappointing spectacle for her father to see. Saber Tooth won. Minerva had her victory. Yet in the end, all Lucy cared about was the fact that she had realized she was in love with Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

 **Author's Note: A lot of this chapter was a foregone conclusion, just a little more in-depth: Saber Tooth was always going to win; Erza was going to break her arm; Loke would ask Lucy to the Festival. More importantly, though, is that Lucy has exited the denial stage and has realized that she's in love with Natsu! Of course, we should all know that she won't fully act on this for another year story-wise. Don't worry, though, that's not that long. Thanks much to all my reviewers for their feedback, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Almost there…We're nearly to that big summer. I hope you enjoy more of the shenanigans this chapter. Yeah! Let's read Chapter 13!**

* * *

Chapter 13

 _Autumn, Tenth Grade_

Knowing that you were in love with your best friend was harder than Lucy realized. It wasn't so much the knowledge, as it was what to do with said knowledge. Should she go for broke and confess to him? It certainly wasn't a bad option. If he happened to feel the same thing, then that was great! If he didn't, he'd likely laugh it all off and they'd go back to being just them. Still, Lucy wasn't a fan of the option…mostly because it was still a little embarrassing to her.

Another option was to avoid Natsu like the plague, but she very quickly ruled that one out on account of Natsu suddenly becoming more perceptive than usual. So, after much internal debate, Lucy decided on what was truly the simplest choice: do nothing. She would let whatever happened, happen. Nothing good ever came from forcing the issue. In other words, she would let Natsu make the first move. Progressivist women's movement be damned; she was a sucker for romance. Even if it was with someone as dense as Natsu Dragneel.

This was all easier said than done.

Dealing with it during the rest of summer was easy, mostly thanks to the depressing air that appeared to pervade their little group everywhere. Losing to Saber Tooth after such manipulation was humiliating and grating. The very thought of it made Natsu turn his joyous switch off and be in anger mode most days. Laxus and Erza were worse, granting them a ten-foot or more radius of space; food poisoning and a broken arm would do that. In any case, it made it easy to avoid Natsu for the summer, or at least not deal with what made her fall for him in the first place. Though she arguably felt worse.

"Dad," she said the evening before school began, causing her father to look up from the book he was reading. "Kick Orlando's ass."

"Lucy!" he said in shock. It was no surprise; she rarely spoke that way, and certainly not around her father. "What's this about?"

"I know you're dealing with Orlando Aeronautics, Minerva's dad's company," Lucy told him. "She used his power on the board to suspend our best players. He's a corrupt sack of crap. So, I'm just giving you the support you deserve to beat him."

"Well, you know I always do my best, Lucy," Jude admitted. That was enough for Lucy as she headed into her sophomore year. That was when things got a little trickier in terms of Natsu.

He'd often find her at the entrance courtyard just to hang out. All too ironically, school starting seemed to perk him up considerably, and he was more fired up than ever to upstage Saber Tooth. The weird part was most of the other things he did, like opening doors or checking around corners. One time, he'd even bought her a water bottle when she realized that she hadn't packed herself a drink. This was made all the more difficult by the fact that he was now _sitting next to her_ at _every_ lunch. Oh, and they were both in Honors Chemistry together…as lab partners. Thankfully, Natsu was more focused on his rivalry with Gray in that class.

Band was where it became easiest to ignore those feelings, even if she couldn't ignore Natsu, himself. If anyone had thought that Saber Tooth winning over Fairy Tail would have been for the best, they were quickly proven wrong in that first week of school. Minerva's penchant for acting like a queen had easily increased a hundredfold. Rufus and Orga barely changed, considering their demeanors were rotten to begin with, but Sting and Rogue had adopted a swagger that made Lucy blanch. Well, it was more Sting than Rogue, something Yukino had distastefully commented upon.

"I mean, Rogue has his fair share of smug moments," she said one afternoon as the two happened to walk home together, "but Sting doesn't have to act like an ass. Oh, are you going to Homecoming?"

"Yeah, like I have the time," Lucy remarked. "We learned last year that _homework_ is a luxury. Good luck with fitting in Homecoming. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well, Rogue asked me to it," Yukino noted. "I was thinking of accepting it. I know Sting's going with some floozy from Mermaid Heel…or was it the cheerleading squad? He changes so much I have no idea!"

Lucy offered no thoughts on the subject matter, though she was almost certain Yukino preferred Sting, or would have if he wasn't acting like a ginormous asshat; something Natsu and Romeo saw fit to remind everyone of by pasting it on his back. Lucy couldn't help the laugh that had earned her a glare from Minerva at that one (or the one where Cana taped the words "Queen Bitch" on _her_ back). That common struggle against Saber Tooth put her crush on Natsu on hold…at least until Wendy's birthday party.

"Lucy, let's tag team it!" Natsu had proclaimed before the three-legged race.

"I'd rather not. You nearly tore my limbs off last year," she lied. "I already promised Levy."  
"Promised me what now, Lu-chan?"

"All right…Frost Lips! Metal Head! Let's team up!"

"In hell, Fire Crotch!"

"Lucy, why don't you want to team up with Natsu?" Wendy asked. Cursing the girl's sharpness, Lucy shoved a cookie in her mouth. "Do you like my brother?"

"Wendy, I've already told you-"

"Are you in love with him?" The cookie flew from her mouth an amazing distance and beaned Elfman in the head, starting another fight. Lucy rounded on the girl with wide eyes, bent down a little to her level and grabbed her shoulders.

Then, she hissed, "Not a word."

Wendy's eyes lit up happily, and Lucy's mouth widened in horror at what she'd just said. She quickly took a look around to see if anyone else had heard her. Considering that Levy was the closest, but was too busy fuming at Gajeel (who was patting her on the head) to possibly hear her, it wasn't a worry. Wendy just clapped her hands joyously. "Does this mean you'll be my big sister for real?"

"Aren't I kind of already?" Lucy asked. What she didn't say was that she was flashing back to that daydream from half a year ago.

"When will you tell him?" Wendy suddenly asked. Lucy looked at her like she was positively mad. Confess? To Natsu? The very thought of it was an absolute absurdity at this point in time. She stumbled over her tongue, feeling herself tripping over it.

"Wendy! Lucy! What are you two talking about?" Mira called over, her dress swishing around her legs.

"Lucy's-" The blonde acted faster than Natsu on fire and slapped her hand over Wendy's mouth.

"Wendy was trying to wheedle what gift I got her out of me," she lied through her teeth. Wendy didn't say anything but nodded furiously in agreement. Mira peered at them suspiciously for a moment before smiling. That told Lucy that the bullet had been dodged, and the rest of the birthday party passed by without incident. Well…no incidents except for Natsu and Gajeel chasing Cana, who had bought Wendy a rather revealing bikini. Lucy could swear that Natsu would burn it later.

With all of the festivities, Lucy was grateful to get home and take a shower. The bath helped her to relax and forget about her little conversation with Wendy. Once she'd felt reasonably relaxed, Lucy emerged from the bathtub, dressed in a comfortable pair of undergarments and proceeded to her room to grab her pajamas.

"Yo, Lucy!" The blonde froze in place, turning to see Natsu spinning on her chair. A delayed reaction of realizing she was in nothing but her underwear suddenly beset her and she grabbed the first thing she could to chuck it at him. He dodged it, popped a chip in his mouth and turned to face her with a grin as she grabbed her pajamas. "Uh…why're you practically naked?"  
"Because I took a shower! Look away!" Lucy screeched, crouching to cover up as much of her body as she could. This was beyond embarrassing. "What do you want Natsu?"

"Wendy said that you had something you wanted to tell me," he remarked casually. Lucy didn't respond to him, carefully sliding her pants on and then her shirt. "Don't know why you're bothering. It's no different than when you wear a bikini, and you look great in those."

"It's the principle of it, Natsu. You don't barge into a girl's room through the window," Lucy snapped, buttoning up her shirt as quick as Gray would usually take his off. "And stop getting chips all over my carpet."

"Shorry," he responded after stuffing a few more in. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

 _That traitor_ , Lucy thought savagely. Instead, she said aloud, "Nothing. Just a misunderstanding."

"Oh, all right…" Natsu actually seemed to sound a little disappointed, but Lucy played that off as a trick of her imagination. "Well, you know…if you wanna talk about something, I'm right here," he assured her with his grin. Like usual, he then clambered onto the window and jumped outside of it. Lucy just huffed a little and sat on her bed, flicking her hair out. Then she smiled a little. Not that she was all about looks, but Natsu had said she looked great in a bikini. That had to count for something.

* * *

 _Winter, Tenth Grade_

The marching season had ended with its usual fanfare of three contests and the Fantasia Parade followed by Nationals. Naturally, the program won, but for most of the guilds, the victory felt all too bittersweet. Minerva and Saber Tooth had begun to make life unbearable, even if students weren't part of the band program. Lucy felt it was a disgrace to everything that Mavis Vermillion must have intended in forming the program.

Sting, on the other hand, was a ball of cocky, negative energy. Lucy wasn't sure if it was because of Natsu picking fights with him like an idiot, or because Yukino was dating Rogue. He got even worse around the time of the Winter Formal. From the way he treated his fellow freshmen, he looked on the verge of a meltdown. It was both satisfying and pitiable to see. He only seemed to stop when Yukino had slapped him and told him to grow up. From there on, only Natsu became the main focus of attack.

Of course, Natsu relished it, and more than once, Lucy had grabbed his scarf and yanked him away ala Erza. He may have complained, but he never struggled. For her part, Lucy had become more at ease with him. Less butterflies, less blushes, but more smiles…at least, she had more smiles where Natsu was concerned. She had less smiles when contest season began.

"Seriously? !" Gray exclaimed the day before the break for Christmas began. "This is ridiculous!"

"Juvia thinks it is unfair…"

"Minerva…" Erza growled out angrily. Lucy couldn't blame them; she wanted to throttle Saber Tooth itself. The list of contests had been announced, and Saber Tooth had taken all but the one reserved for the most basic of bands. All of the other guilds would only be competing against _freshmen_. _Just_ freshmen. It was insulting. The only thing they had to look forward to, now, was the major contest in April and the Solo and Ensemble Contest in February.

"Damn it!" Natsu yelled. "We need a plan to knock Saber Jerks out of commission!"

"Yeah? How do you expect us to do that?" Laxus questioned.

"Not at all, if Natsu's the planner," Gray said. To Lucy's surprise, Natsu didn't start a fight. He simply stood up higher.

"Easy. We start planning for next year, this year!" Natsu proclaimed triumphantly. "Sure, we don't know exactly what to expect with the new freshmen, but the small band stuff and the Experimental stuff we can all plan out in advance."

"Huh…he has a point in all his yammering," Laxus pointed out. "I'm sure gramps won't let Orlando pull the same stunt he did this year. And even if he tries, it just means that we all need to be ready to kick ass, especially with the experimental portion."

"Wow, Flame Brain, you actually had a good idea for once," Gray snickered out. Natsu was ignoring him, already in a heated conversation with Gajeel. Lucy pouted at that; judging from his gestures and expressions, he had no notions of teaming up with her for the experimental portion. She'd let him have it later.

For the next month, though, all of their efforts were focused squarely on preparing for the Solo and Ensemble Contest. Lucy felt a little overwhelmed by that, thinking up a piece to play for herself when Levy had interjected with the idea of a duet. Grateful to not have to find or compose a piece (as Levy had already done that for her), Lucy agreed wholeheartedly. It was amazing how even without the stress of added contests, Lucy's time was still eaten up. Between the Dragneels, homework, and practice with Levy, Lucy found herself only available for dinner with her father, and little else. She saw the irony in the role reversal.

The one thing she really wasn't looking forward to, however, was encountering the Balam Demons at the upcoming contest. The marching season had been relatively tame concerning them, mostly because Minerva was busy being too much of a hellion for them to notice. Now, with contest season, Lucy knew it would make their few encounters all too potent. She wasn't all that far off.

"Lucy, darling, it's been a while," snickered the voice of Angel. Both Lucy and Levy came to a stop to look at the girl, who was yawning lazily. "Yukino writes home about you quite often. I hear you two have become quite good friends."

"I guess," Lucy commented.

"Too bad you won't be in all that many contests this year," the girl continued to prattle on. "I was looking forward to settling our little rivalry, but I guess you really dropped in performance quality. Such a shame…"

"Let's go, Lu-chan," Levy said, grabbing her arm and dragging her off. "Don't get distracted."

"I hate this, Levy," the blonde suddenly commented after they'd signed in. "I hate being treated like lower-level musicians after the game Minerva played on all of us."

"Don't worry about that," Levy reminded her, snapping her flute case shut. "We'll show them right now who the top tier musicians really are!"

It was hard for Lucy to disagree with that kind of enthusiasm, and after a brief practice session, the two girls lined up outside their performance room and waited for their names to be called. It didn't take long at all, and before they knew it, the both of them were sitting before the judges. Lucy wasn't exactly sure how their performance went, since both she and Levy were lost in the moment of performing, but from the looks on the judges' faces, she had an approximation that they'd done reasonably well. All that was left was for them to wait for the results to be posted. While they were waiting, other known faces congregated the area. Erza and Mira were already there upon arrival, while Loke and Aries were just leaving. Lucy was glad to see them spending more time together.

Of course, the "boy band" as Lisanna called them ("Gray Band" if you asked Juvia) of Natsu, Gray and Gajeel arrived in the waiting time. It was a marvel to see those three working together. Eventually, Erza and Mira's results were posted and they left. Gray soon got a phone call and had to skitter off. Lucy checked the clock; it couldn't have been long, now.

"Sorry, Lu-chan, I really have to use the bathroom. Mind waiting?" Lucy shook her head and the bluenette started to dart off, only for Gajeel to fall in step alongside her.

"Better escort you, shrimp," he said with a leering grin.

"That makes it sound super creepy, Gajeel," Levy commented. Gajeel gave his signature "gee-hee".

"Well, maybe I have to use the bathroom, too."

"That doesn't make it any better!" Gajeel's laughter faded as the two walked away, prompting Natsu to plop himself down next to Lucy with a groan. The blonde smiled as the pair of them waited for the results to be posted. Unfortunately, they weren't alone in waiting.

"Kah ha ha! If it isn't the blonde and the fireball! Been a while, chumps!" Lucy rolled her eyes, recognizing the voice of Jackal from just about anywhere. Naturally, Natsu instantly stood up to confront the boy from Tartaros Academy. Lucy, not wanting to get involved, turned away, only to find herself staring into the eyes of dough boy, Kain Hikaru.

"I see you checkin' me out. Don't play coy…" he said with a rather unattractive wiggle of his eyebrows.

"I'm really not," Lucy answered in a deadpan. A small distance away, a man was putting up the newest results and she stood to go and read them when she felt a clammy hand on her arm. Looking at it with disgust she prepared to wrench his hand right off when Natsu beat her to the punch…literally. He sunk his fist into Kain's face and Tubby stumbled back.

"That hurt! I'm not interested in guys!"

"Neither am I, but no one touches Lucy. And how did that hurt? Your face was like a lump of dough!" It certainly gave new meaning to the name Dough Boy as Lucy grabbed Natsu and started pulling him over to the results before any more damage could be done.

"Kah ha! You're a short-tempered fireball!" Jackal howled out. "Guess someone has to stick up for your slut of a girlfriend, huh? Might as well be a loser like y-"

Natsu had been on the move before Lucy even had a chance to tense. By the time she turned around, Natsu had tackled Jackal and was pummeling his face while the boy continued to cackle. Her eyes widened and she was about to step in to intervene before Gray arrived and slugged Natsu in the face to stop him. Gajeel and Levy appeared soon after that, with the former restraining a seething Natsu. Jackal never stopped laughing.

"You say that again and next time I'll burn you to ashes!" Natsu growled. Jackal actually stopped, looking quite frightened as a group of teachers and event overseers interrupted them and took them away from the scene.

What followed was literally hours of questions and sorting out the events that happened. By the time the contest came to a close and they were all released, most parties were less than happy. Natsu, Gray and Gajeel had been disqualified, with Makarov forcing them to do extra work while Natsu was suspended. Jackal and Kain were as well, to Lucy's pleasure. She and Levy had gotten off quite easily, even earning top scores in the contest.

"You're lucky, blonde bimbo," Jackal muttered on his way out, bandages all over his face. "Your boyfriend was there to protect you, but next time ya won't be so lucky."

"Next time, Natsu's fist won't be the only one hitting your face," she had shot back, causing the boy to sulk off.

The whole incident soon became known as the Soloist Debacle around school. Lucy just knew it as the day she was hopelessly in love with Natsu, and finally had the faintest hope of him liking her back.

* * *

 _Spring, Tenth Grade_

As winter gave way to spring, the sophomores soon found themselves busy with a large number of things; certainly more than they'd thought possible. Even with the dearth of contests heading their way, school projects mounted upon them, causing them to stay indoors and work everything out. In particular, Lucy and Natsu had chosen a rather difficult chemistry project that necessitated them staying after school most days. Ultimately, that just meant they weren't able to spend much time at all in the tavern. Lab work was done at school; paperwork was done at home.

"What are you two doing?" Wendy asked one afternoon, holding Carla in her arms. Much as it pained her, Lucy ignored the girl.

"Can't talk. In zone," Natsu answered. He finished scribbling across his paper and scooted over, right up against Lucy, to show her his work. He felt warm, but Lucy focused on his figure…er, the figures on the paper. She could have slapped herself. Wendy craned her neck over.

"Chemistry? I thought you hated schoolwork, Natsu," his sister questioned him.

"Like hell I'm letting Yeti Boy get a better grade on this project than me!" he snapped just as Lucy nodded. He took it back and started making some final changes to it. Wendy just laughed before informing them she was going to practice. Lucy had almost forgotten that Wendy was just a few months away from joining high school like the rest of them. She was almost a shoe-in for the Music Program, too, having been first chair of the eighth grade band the past year. That was a point of pride, for some reason, to her and Natsu. Smiling to herself, Lucy returned back to her chemistry work.

More than school, however, Lucy and the other members of Fairy Tail were almost consumed by their all-too burning desire to defeat Saber Tooth in the coming summer. From Natsu and Gajeel sequestering themselves away for weekends at a time (to her displeasure), to Erza and Laxus furiously eating up practice room time. Even Lucy and Levy didn't find themselves immune and Lucy had finally decided to complete her mother's piece from so many years ago. Levy simply helped her in that endeavor. Though she did end up surprised a week before the final contest was set to begin.

"An experimental piece? With me?" Lucy questioned of Gray once he'd brought it up.

"Don't do it, love rival!"

"Look, I know you probably wanted to do a piece with Flame-"

"No, it's fine," Lucy said with a dismissive wave. "I have no problem with it."

"But Gray-sama…don't you want to team up with me…?" Juvia whined. Gray just blinked and scratched the side of his head.

"Sorry, Juvia, but the idea I have needs a flute," he responded sheepishly. Juvia appeared to crumble at that, though Lucy assured her that she'd spend the time softening Gray up for her. Either way, she still made sure to lock her doors and windows all while looking out for the sounds of "drip drip drop". Before long, and after many hours of composing and practicing, the day of the year's major contest finally arrived. The first thing Lucy saw when they got there was Jackal, scowling at them. Otherwise, he ignored them, especially once Natsu made his presence known.

Of course, Natsu was more of an inviter of trouble than a deterrent, and before they'd even reached the practice room, they had been waylaid by Zancrow.

"So, firecracker, heard ya scared the shit outta Jackal?" he snickered out. "I heard he was quaking for days, muttering about a fireball."

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Natsu snapped back.

"Oh, no. You're not getting suspended again," Lucy said in exasperation before pushing him away. "Honestly, Natsu, what is with you picking fights lately…"

"Hey, if the guy wants to fight, let 'im fight. I can handle a chump like him."

"Shut up! You're not helping!" Lucy snarled and Zancrow actually visibly flinched.

"Do you howler monkeys have to be so damn loud?" Lucy looked up mid-push to catch sight of Cobra from the Oración Seis putting himself between the two parties. She never thought she'd be grateful to see him. "We're here for a music competition. We decide things that way, not by being a bunch of adrenaline monkeys with sticks. And Zancrow? Stop being so damn annoying. Grimoire Prep hasn't beaten our school in the last year, so cut the crap."

"What'd you say, pointy ears?" Zancrow bellowed. Natsu snickered under his breath, causing Lucy to glare at him to not make any noises. He, at least, had the decency to look embarrassed.

"I'm telling you to stop picking fights, ya psycho," Cobra growled out. Zancrow looked like he wanted to rip Cobra's head off, his ringed eyes flicking between Cobra and Natsu both. Eventually, he clearly decided that it wasn't worth the effort. Giving a scoff, the shaggy blonde turned and went down the hallway. "You stay out of trouble, too, Dragneel. Wouldn't do to have my biggest rival kicked out of the competition."

"What's that mean?" Natsu questioned with narrow eyes.

"I would think the meaning's obvious," he said with a smirk. Natsu didn't say anything at first, watching as Cobra turned around and followed after Zancrow.

"Like I need elf-boy for a rival…"

"I heard that!" Cobra shouted with a wave. Lucy watched him go as Natsu huffed next to her. Halfway down the hallway, she saw him bump into a freshman from Fairy Tail named Kinana. The two seemed to hit it off, but Lucy decided to become more preoccupied with getting Natsu to the practice room before he could start anymore fights.

To Lucy's surprise, their practice room wasn't filled with the same level of edginess as usual. Maybe it was the fact that they hadn't had a whole season of building rage against the Balam Demons like last year, or it could have just been that Natsu had sent a rather potent message in February. Regardless, Lucy felt that it was nice to relax a little. Not that the atmosphere wasn't charged; every single one of them wanted to win.

And they did. Fairy Tail may have taken place in only one competition, but they nailed it. By comparison, Saber Tooth hadn't fared as well, landing in second place beneath Tartaros. Lucy had hoped that it would shut Minerva's trap, but she still prattled on about being the best. Only Sting and Rogue actually cared to listen. Yukino just avoided her, congratulating Fairy Tail on their win. More importantly, however, was the moment that they were leaving the contest.

"Good job, Dragneel," Cobra had said on their way out. "Same time next year?"  
"Sure thing, Cobra," Natsu responded with a smirk. "We'll win every time."

"It's Erik, and fat chance of that."

Exchanging determined glances, the two boys nodded and went their separate ways. It was, in no way, a conclusion to their war with the Balam Demons, but for that moment, it was a nice cap to one of their conflicts. Now, Lucy could only hope to put an end to the pointless battle with Saber Tooth. Lucy just smiled and shook her head at the thought of it.

For now, she was glad Natsu hadn't earned a third suspension that year. _Third time really_ is _the charm, after all._

* * *

 _Summer, Eleventh Grade_

The weather turned warmer, and with it brought a series of changes to Lucy's life. As per their usual boisterous traditions, Fairy Tail held a farewell party for their departing seniors, which included Loke and Aries. It was at this same get-together at the Heartfilia Manor, that the ginger proclaimed that he had renounced his playboy ways and had entered into a relationship with the pink-haired girl. Not only that, but the two of them also announced their intention to attend Celeste University. Lucy congratulated them, but the events inexorably turned her mind towards Natsu.

She had grown used to being around him without blushing for the most part, but they still hadn't moved in any which way. It was getting frustrating, being nothing more than best friends. That frustration was put to the test throughout the summer. Due to dealing with numerous companies to combat Orlando Aeronautics, her father was often very busy, meaning that Lucy spent a lot of time with Natsu at his house. They'd play games, head to the pool together (even her crappy seduction techniques were worthless…on him, at least), go for lunch. Pretty much, they did everything normal couples did, but they weren't.

It was these thoughts that were plaguing her when she met up at Natsu's a week after they'd gotten their letters for the year's Music Program.

"I got section leader!" Natsu announced triumphantly, waving the paper in front of her. Lucy smiled back at him and watched as he flopped on the couch, propping his legs on the coffee table. Breathing in and steeling herself, Lucy followed suit, only she draped her legs across Natsu's lap. If he noticed or cared, he said nothing. "Laxus, Erza and Mira got made drum majors."

"So they told me," Lucy informed him. After a moment of ticking silence, other than a pounding on the stairs, Lucy considered making a confession but decided against it, asking another question instead. "Hey, so…remember when you said we should team up? How come that never came up?"

"Uh…" Natsu gaped at her as he began twiddling drumsticks. "I forgot?"

"You agreed, Natsu!" she snapped.

"A year ago, Luce," he argued back. She felt her eye twitch. He knew that she hated that mono-syllabic nickname. "You can't hold me to that. Besides, Metal-head and I have worked out something really cool."

"Yes, because a saxophone and drums combo is _so_ unheard of."

"It makes more sense than flute and drums, and like I said, we've made something super different and awesome." Lucy continued to glare at him, but eventually decided that it truly wasn't worth the effort. She sighed.

"You'll owe me for this."

"Fine, I'll take you to dinner, then." It was impossible to know what Natsu meant by that, and her face instantly heated up from the implications that he could very well mean a date. She started spluttering, only stopping when she heard the sound of Wendy clearing her throat. Sure enough, the bluenette was in the room. "Oh, hey, Wendy! What's up?"

"I got in!" she squeaked. Lucy's face lit up while Natsu quirked an eyebrow. "The Magnolia Music Program."

"That's awesome!" Natsu said with a grin.

"Congratulations, Wendy," Lucy commented happily. Wendy looked extremely excited.

"I'm so excited! I can't wait to join you guys for the music camp this year."

"It'll be so great to have you," Lucy agreed. At this, she stood. "I really hope you'll be put in Fairy Tail like the rest of us."

"Hell yeah, with Wendy in our band, we'll totally win! Now I'm really fired up!" Lucy could only roll her eyes at that catchphrase, but she still leaned in to hug Wendy. At that moment, she decided to forget everything else but this second family of hers. As the siblings exchanged a few more words after Lucy finished her hug, she began thinking. And when Wendy bounced away, Lucy made a promise to herself. She loved this family like her own, and this summer she was going to confess her feelings to Natsu.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And now we have officially caught up to Musical Chairs. In fact, the last scene there was the very first scene of Musical Chairs. Does this mean it's over? No. There's still one more chapter and an epilogue to be had. Either way, this chapter tied up some loose ends: the spiraling hatred of Saber Tooth, wrapping up some loose ends with the Balam Demons, and, of course, deepening that relationship between Lucy and Natsu. All that on top of filling in the blanks leading to Chairs (like the post-birthday party scene which was meant to reference a throwaway line from Natsu in Chairs as well as showing Natsu could care less about Lucy's looks overall). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and had some laughs from some humor. Until the next/last chapter, Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	14. Chapter 14

**So, one can kind of look at this final chapter as an abridged version of the first seven chapters of Musical Chairs. Naturally, if you want further explanation or dialogue, albeit from Wendy's point of view, go and check that out! Time for the final chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 14

For some odd reason, the approaching camp felt different to Lucy. Maybe it was her resolution to confess to Natsu by the end of it, regardless of the result. Or maybe it was the fact that Wendy would be joining them that year. Although, that meant more time spent with Natsu's sister than anything, helping her to memorize her music and get ready in general. Not that Lucy was slouching on her own stuff; she, like the others in Fairy Tail, were more determined than ever to beat Saber Tooth.

After a few more weeks, the camp finally arrived with surprisingly little fanfare. Natsu, Gray and Gajeel were still terrified (and rightly so) of Erza, and the general rules were all pretty much the same as well, allowing Lucy to zone out during Makarov's speech. Afterwards, Lucy proceeded to their usual cabin and dropped her stuff on the bunk with Levy while Erza did her usual inspections. That's when she noticed a new, yet not new, face step in.

"You're in here, too, Wendy?" Lucy asked upon seeing the bluenette. She nodded, and Lucy felt herself grinning. The rest of the conversation consisted of Levy lightly complaining and Juvia being delusional, but when all was said and done, the girls all went to the cafeteria for food. Lucy had a guess why: if Saber Tooth was at the pizza parlor, any manner of fights could erupt. As a result, the dinner they did have was enjoyable and the girls all returned to their cabin for an early night, which resulted in an early morning.

"No offense, Erza," Levy's voice called as she returned from washing up that morning, "but I don't think she should take advice from someone who packed a year's worth of luggage for two weeks."

Lucy snorted at that as she returned to her bed. She pulled off her pajama shirt as Wendy and Levy made their way back over. Wendy appeared to be very glad to be rescued with a quick, "Thank you."

"No problem. Erza means well but she can be pretty over-bearing," Levy confessed. "You should have seen her our freshman year."

"She can still be pretty imposing, even to juniors," Lucy decided to point out. Even Lucy, after years of knowing the girl, could be terrified by her. Pulling a tank top over, she turned to Levy. "I'm surprised you had the guts to stand up to her."

"W-well, Gajeel asked me to look after Wendy," Levy stuttered. Somehow, Lucy couldn't help but smirk at that tone. Her own relationship with Natsu may have hit stagnant waters, but she wasn't losing this opportunity.

"Ooh, Levy…you and Gajeel, huh?"

"It's n-not like that, Lu-chan!" Levy protested with a beet red face.

"Sure it isn't," Lucy said, observing Levy's red face. "Jet and Droy won't be happy. They're like lovesick puppies around you…assuming Gajeel doesn't make his claim."

"You make it sound so dirty…" Levy argued, spraying some bug spray over herself. The aerosol caused Lucy to cough. "And besides, the way you carry on with Natsu, I'd imagine you're no different."

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that, but I'm not the one reading erotic romance novels," the blonde pointed out. Levy just silently fumed, but evidently held no grudge against her as the two finished preparing for the day and headed for breakfast. By the time they'd gotten there, Natsu and Gajeel were already in a foul mood, no doubt thanks to Sting and Rogue. As she shoveled hash browns in, Lucy noticed that Minerva wasn't there, though she had no hopes that the girl had simply disappeared. When she got to the field, she decided to ask Yukino about it.

"A business trip, apparently," Yukino answered. "She _should_ get in trouble, but you know what her father can do."

Lucy was certainly all too aware of it, so she wasn't surprised when she met up with the other girls from their guild for a "Fairy Girls" meeting and learned that Minerva had, in fact, arrived that afternoon. Cana was less than pleased. "And here I thought someone had pushed her off a bridge. So, how do we get rid of her?"

"We don't," Erza said sternly. "Minerva asserted her supposed superiority by removing our best players. The only way we can prove our guild is better is by beating theirs at full capability."

Erza's word was certainly law; a law that carried over even to the scheming boys. Not that her law stopped Natsu and Gray from going after each other and forcing Lucy to keep them apart while they waited for the guild placement announcements. Only when Erza further imposed her law did they stop. Lucy just listened and watched as a girl from their cabin, Meredy Amory, joined their guild.

Unsurprising was the announcement a moment later when Wendy was placed in Fairy Tail. The cheer that the guild gave at that announcement was massive, as was the welcome, which consisted of Lucy hugging her pseudo-little sister. Everything that followed after that was more or less rote, at least where Gildarts and his laziness were concerned. On the other hand, their practice was more invigorated than usual, with every singly member determined to tear Saber Tooth a new one. Amidst all that, however, Lucy found herself taking notice of the one thing that she didn't want to: couples. Jellal kept staring at Erza; Laxus and Mira looked to have a lover's spat; Elfman and Evergreen had their usual belligerent sexual tension; even Romeo seemed to whisper in Wendy's ear. All of it served to remind her of that end goal…one that she had absolutely no idea how to accomplish.

So, like that morning, she decided to tease others on their way back to the cabin with Wendy in tow.

"Jellal couldn't take his eyes off you, Erza," she teased alongside Levy.

"I-I c-c-couldn't understand why. H-he's just a childhood friend," Erza protested. "Besides, what about Natsu and Gajeel?" _Curses!_ Lucy thought. Her plan had backfired, and she was forced to think of Natsu. Levy had no such issue, and the blonde followed after.

"Those two lunkheads? They wouldn't know romance even if they read a book about it."

"That's assuming we could even get them to read a book," Lucy complained. "I once gave Natsu copies of some of the most popular books in the world and he just complained about how there were no pictures. I swear that boy can be insufferable."

"That's my brother," Wendy piped in. "Whenever mom wants him to do something, she draws pictures by it because otherwise he'll claim ignorance." Lucy shook her head in complete disbelief.

As Lucy shook her head, she was suddenly reminded of the way Romeo had whispered to Wendy. "Speaking of Dragneels, it seems our Romeo's taken an interest in you." Wendy seemed to flush uncomfortably, so Lucy backpedaled. "Well, I'm sure it's mostly because you're Natsu's sister, so don't worry about it."

That appeared to calm the bluenette down, something that Erza further established. Naturally, their talk went back to relationships, in particular Laxus and Mira's usual strange behavior that led Lucy to wonder if they had gotten back together without telling anyone. Levy even said as much. "I think they must be having some sort of secret relationship like you find in those romance novels!"

"You read too much, Levy. It's completely p-preposterous to hide a secret relationship in Fairy Tail," Erza denied vehemently. Lucy quirked an eyebrow in the redhead's direction. "If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for the evening."

Even if Lucy's dreams were plagued by Natsu and her ever-dwindling chances to confess to him, she still took solace in the fact that she'd gotten under Erza's skin more than her own. Not that she had time to dwell on any of this with the raging heat the next day. The morning practice session was hell, and she didn't even have the energy to utter a word to Natsu at lunch, though he was too busy shoveling food in anyway.

The afternoon got arguably worse with the heat, making the water breaks they had her only relief from it. Or it would have been, had practice not grinded to a halt. Lucy and Levy both stood on their tiptoes to catch a glimpse of what was going on with the clarinets, but that section had formed an impenetrable wall from information. No one knew anything about what held them up, at least until Juvia spilled the beans to her at dinner.

"She did what now? !" Lucy screeched upon hearing of Minerva's latest act of cruelty. This turned some heads and Lucy decided to be a little quieter. "Minerva denied you guys water and Wendy collapsed? Is she okay?"

"Juvia is sure she will be, but Minerva worries Juvia…Though Juvia doesn't think we should say anything. Could make it worse."

"So, she can't manipulate us and just bullies us instead," Lucy muttered darkly. As if figuring out how to confess wasn't enough pressure. For a moment, she considered asking Juvia, but then remembered the girl wore her heart on her sleeve and would be useless. Lucy frowned and noticed Wendy approaching. "How are you feeling, Wendy? Juvia told me what happened." "I'm fine. Thanks for asking, Lucy," Wendy said with a smile. This prompted a relieved sigh from the blonde and she turned back to Juvia.

"How's Hibiki taking it?" she asked, remembering that the boy was the clarinets' section leader.

"Not well, but Juvia thinks that's mostly because he has to tell everyone he was hit by a girl," came the answer.

Lucy rolled her eyes and responded with, "Yep, that's Hibiki."

"What about that womanizing pervert?" Lucy felt Natsu's hand settle on her shoulder and she jumped. It felt so hot…Still, she recovered and swatted his hand away. Lucy decided to pull herself together and answer him.

"Apparently he was slapped by Minerva," she said.

"Wow…usually I'd blame Hibiki, but since it was Minerva…" Natsu let out a low whistle and sat down next to Lucy. He instantly grabbed for her sandwich and Lucy, too frozen up to really care, only opted for a glare in the moment. "So, Juvia, what happened out there today? The whole practice got held up by you guys but none of the drum majors could tell what had happened."

No one said a word. Even if sitting right next to Natsu was playing slight havoc with her nerves, she wasn't exactly sure if she should say anything. After all, Juvia had told her not to, and within good reason, considering how ballistic Natsu could go. Finally, after Natsu insisted, Wendy piped up. "It's nothing."

Lucy winced, knowing that was the nail in the coffin, especially when Natsu more or less asked her again with a growl. That's when she decided to step in. "It was just Minerva being Minerva. She was depriving the clarinets of any water or food breaks and one of them collapsed under the strain."

"Lucy! We agreed not to say anything!" Juvia cried out. Lucy cringed, but figured no damage had been done. Of course, Natsu was more perceptive than usual, demanding answers, but getting none.

"Was it Wendy?" he finally growled. Lucy's eyes widened, and she knew what was coming. Right as Natsu stood, Lucy threw caution to the wind and wrapped her arms around his midsection. "Let go of me, Luce! I'm going to kill her!"

"Stop it, Natsu! Wendy's fine and you can't get into a fight with them this year. We need you for the games." Natsu clearly didn't care because he ripped away from her hold. Lucy lamented that loss a moment, but soon realized what kind of warpath Natsu was on, even as Gray and Erza caught him to scold him. Her heart continued to hammer in her chest, and then Wendy spoke up.

"Stop it!" she yelled, slamming her fists on the table angrily. "I don't need you guys to always look after me. I can take care of myself, too. I can handle my problems on my own!"

Lucy could only blink and watch as Wendy finished her burger and then stormed from the dining hall. Feeling a little ashamed over the spectacle they caused, Lucy sat back down to her half a sandwich. Natsu joined her, looking positively downcast. His own sister had just yelled at him…and it _was_ kind of his fault. Breathing in, Lucy decided to console him with a pat on the back and a few choice words.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "Wendy will forgive you. Just deliver a heartfelt apology."

"Yeah…You're right, Lucy!" Natsu said. He grinned at her with a dramatic fistpump before lowering it and just staring at her. His expression softened, along with his tone. "You're the best."

"No problem," Lucy said with a smile. She could have sworn they'd had a moment there, but just as soon, it was gone.

* * *

By the next day, Natsu and Wendy had forgiven each other and practice returned to normal. If one could consider a near constant rivalry "normal". The most annoying part was how on alert Natsu was, constantly throwing glares at Minerva, like he was daring her to make a move. Lucy was pretty sure the dark-haired girl didn't even notice. Though it didn't stop Lucy from having to restrain Natsu during one of their water breaks.

"Just let Erza handle it," she told him dismissively, knowing the redhead was best for the job. Sure enough, Erza appeared to be laser-focused on telling Minerva off. Natsu's own fists clenched and Lucy, in an act of slight desperation, reached over and cupped his face. "It's fine."

"Fine…" Natsu said, almost like a petulant child denied a candy bar. When he turned back to her, though, her throat caught. She opened her mouth, almost ready to confess right then and there, but Natsu opened his at the same time. She backed off. "You ready to win tonight at Capture the Flag?"

"Yeah! Of course…" Lucy trailed off, kicking herself inside. Too suddenly, the band was called to order and Natsu departed from her. Yet another chance, gone. She was really going to have to step up her game. She considered doing it at the Capture the Flag game…but that fell apart as easily as the boys getting into another fight. Literally. It didn't help that she and Elfman had been dispatched together and she later learned that Natsu had been captured…again. "I told you not to wear your plainly white scarf in a game that requires stealth."

The boys either didn't care or didn't hear her, but Levy shared her sentiments just fine upon rejoining her with a sigh. More surprising was that Wendy was there. "This happens every year. When will Gajeel just learn to grow up?"

"You think _he's_ a man-child? I think Natsu just shoved his fingers up Gray's nose," Lucy lamented with a sigh of her own. "Romeo, you can take care of this, right? We'll take Wendy and head back to the cabin."

Leaving the boy with little option, the three girls wheeled around and headed back to their cabin. Levy was still exasperated. "Honestly, is it so hard to control his testosterone from time to time?"

"Natsu's no better. I think if a pillow challenged him, he'd fight it.

"If they're so bad, then why do you want to go out with them?" Wendy suddenly asked. Lucy froze in place, shocked by such a question coming from the girl. She had never really thought about it or examined it before. All she knew was that she had fallen for Natsu, but never all the reasons why. But Wendy asking that started to make it increasingly obvious. It was his kindness. His softness. His roughness. His laughs. It was those little moments, because wrapped in every infuriating one was a precious one. Knowing this, her mind automatically began to create a rather long list of reasons why, the list running subconsciously during practice, and only broken by Cana at dinner.

"Hey, Lucy, hope you're ready to lose tonight," Cana hollered. Finally breaking her mind free of Natsu (and cursing herself that she'd spent all day on it), she turned and smirked, sitting next to Wendy.

"Not a chance, Cana! Wendy, here, joined our team last night, so now we're even better!"

"Oh no, I'm not that-" Wendy attempted to protest, but she cut herself off. Lucy could see why as Mira was walking towards them with a stack of papers. That was odd; Mira hadn't joined them since she'd been made drum major. Cana was the first to remark on this.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Mira?" the brunette purred sycophantically. "We never see you drum majors at dinner."

"Laxus wanted me to tell you all that we'll be running auditions for the Experimental portion tonight during the latter half of practice," Mira said quite stoically. Cana took the moment to tease her with wiggling eyebrows but Lucy was more interested in the papers.

"So, what's with the papers, Mira?" Lucy asked. Mira smiled brightly.

"Director Makarov has decided on this year's festival: Dance Festival!" The entire cafeteria, or at least the girls, cheered loudly. Lucy just peered suspiciously, confident her section leader had a hand in this. She didn't have too much time to continue the action, however.

"What do you mean by 'festival'?"

"Every year, the drum majors and Director Makarov decide on a theme for the evening before the games and we end up following that. It's meant to be a last chance for the guilds to get along before they go all cutthroat. So, Mira, how much of a hand did you have in it this year? A dance? Really?"

"Whatever are you talking about, Lucy? It's just a dance, unless you're worried about getting asked by a certain someone." Lucy couldn't help the blush rising to her cheeks after that. Gray clearly disregarded it, however.

"It's bound to be better than last year. I mean, who thought Carnival Festival was a good idea? That damn flame brain dunked me at least fifteen times!"

"That's your fault for volunteering for the dunk tank," Lucy pointed out. Of course, that single remark started a cavalcade of comments about the horrific events of the Fighting Festival. Each of them shuddered at that, except for Wendy, who broke out laughing. "I think we broke Wendy."

"No…just, you guys are too funny…" the bluenette wheezed out. When she finished, Mira piped in again.

"Anyway, I expect each and every one of you to come with dates. There'll be plenty of games for both single and couples, but the couples' prizes are better. So, don't be shy and ask that special someone."

"Can the program afford all that, though?" The entire table went quiet and stared at Wendy.

"What are you talking about, Wendy?" Lucy asked. Wendy shook her head. "Wendy, you know something…Just tell us!"

"I-I really shouldn't," Wendy responded, bowing her head. Eventually, though, she looked up and cracked. "I overheard a conversation between Mister Gildarts and the director yesterday. They said Minerva's dad was trying to bankrupt the program because she didn't make drum major."

Lucy instantly stood, now understanding the seething rage that Natsu had yesterday. Minerva couldn't beat them in the field, so now she was trying a different method. "So, she wants to solve the problem with money, huh?"

"Where are you going?" Levy called out as Lucy stomped away from the table. She didn't even look back to answer.

"To call my father!" No one followed her after that barking statement. True to her word, Lucy returned to the cabin, grabbed her phone and dialed her father. He was certainly surprised. "Dad, the program needs money."

"Does it now? I'm surprised, with how good it is," her father commented. She wasn't wasting any time, though.

"Jiemma Orlando is trying to bankrupt it. We need a backer."

"Oh?" Jude commented, and Lucy could hear the rage. "So, he wants to move the battle to a different arena. Well…I'm all for the challenge. I'll talk to the board; do some investigating of my own. You just do the best you can."

"Go get 'em dad!" It was a short, but effective, conversation; one that allowed everyone but Gray to keep their distance from her earlier outburst. He probably would have, too, but they had an experimental audition together. Not that Lucy thought they'd win. Not with Natsu and Gajeel's performance. She'd even said as much in the midst of predictable talks about the Dance Festival. For once, Lucy didn't let it bother her, too fired up about the money situation to care about anything, even Capture the Flag. She only went along with Natsu out of tradition, but finally started to care when Natsu and she went to hide the flag and he dove into the lake in the forest.

"You know we're supposed to be playing the game, right, Natsu?" she asked, sitting on a nearby log.

"Of course, but as long as they don't get our flag, we're good. Besides, I may not say it to his face, but I trust Gray to give us a win." Lucy quirked an eyebrow and leaned back.

"But Fried's good at laying traps…"

"Relax, Luce, we'll be fine." Another eyebrow twitched, but she stopped when Natsu ceased his swimming to look at her. "Look, there's something I wanted to talk to you about but I couldn't find you at dinner."

"I had some business to take care of," Lucy said, though her curiosity was certainly piqued. "So what is it? Do you need money? What did you break this time?"

"Nothing, actually…I was just wondering if you wanted to go to this Dance Festival thing with me."

"Y-you did?" She could swear her heart was hammering in her chest…or ears. Of course, he probably meant as friends, and a dance was a crappy thing for Natsu, but the very possibility almost sent her tittering.

"Uh…yeah."

"You're not joking or tricking me, are you?" she tried to confirm, hoping beyond hope.

"No!" he snapped back. "I wanted to ask you last year but that bastard Loke beat me to it. Makes me glad he's in college now." She couldn't take it; her heart was soaring. Lucy still reined it in, not wanting to have false hope that this might be easier than she thought, or that he liked her back. So, she answered him evenly.

"Well, I would've gone with you if you'd just asked," she pouted, neglecting to add the word "first". "Yes, I'll go with you, Natsu. Just don't embarrass me."

"No promises there." Lucy couldn't help her giggle at it, even if the giggle was cut short by the sudden snapping of a twig. Natsu sprang out of the water and Lucy turned around fearfully to face a looming Erza. No words were needed. Just screams. Yet it couldn't take away that she'd been asked to the Dance Festival by Natsu. Now, she just had to make sure it ended as more than a friendly rendezvous.

* * *

Lucy was a brightly shining bulb of happiness the next morning, smiling and practically singing as she went about her morning preparations. She was certain that the others had taken notice, but she didn't let that dampen her mood in the slightest. Instead, she took the time at breakfast to call Virgo and ask for a dress to be delivered. Knowing Mira, if she didn't, the older Strauss would get one for her. Beyond that, she smiled brightly while Natsu joined her with a grimace. Lucy winced.

"Erza's scary…save me…" he whimpered out. Lucy patted him comfortingly on the back.

"Don't worry. Just do your best today and I'm sure she'll forget it." Natsu didn't really share her sentiments, but still put his usual best foot forward to lead his section. Despite wanting to spend time with him, Lucy decided to actually focus her mind elsewhere, primarily on music. She thought the day would pass without incident…

…at least until Natsu slugged Sting in the face during a water break.

Gajeel was right at his side, like some sort of partner in crime, causing Lucy to shake her head. This wasn't going to turn out well. The blonde stood, and she and Levy began to weave their way through the chanting crowd. Multiple Fairy Tail members were gathered around, but Lucy caught sight of Gray storming. She quickly latched onto him to hold him back. It wasn't easy, and she soon found her efforts aided by Cana and Juvia, the latter of whom spoke. "Gray-sama! Fairy Tail can't have a repeat of last year!"

"It's not an insult if it's true," Sting's voice suddenly bellowed out. "You guys try to lift each other on a pedestal, but the truth is that you've become a bunch of weaklings. Just look at your sister: she went and fainted on the second day." Gray's struggle suddenly renewed, making it harder to hold him back, especially with Cana and her own newfound incensed state. As a result, she missed some of the conversation.

"What the hell is going on here, guys? Are you two idiots fighting again?" Laxus boomed out, parting the crowd as he made his way over.

"They started it!" Natsu protested childishly.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you completely resisted the urge to jump right in," Laxus deadpanned before sighing loudly. "You four all know that fighting isn't allowed. I should punish you, but since I get that you're a bunch of adrenaline monkeys, I'll let you off the hook. Be glad it wasn't Erza or Mira who came over."

"Laxus! Come on, I can't just let them go after they insulted Fairy Tail, Wendy and all my friends!"

Lucy felt her mind go blank, and she could only imagine that the same was happening to every other Fairy Tail member that hadn't had context. Her blood boiled, her ears rang, and her fists clenched. How dare that blond prick insult their guild? ! Insult Wendy? ! She had a right mind to give him a Lucy Kick straight up the ass.

"Fairy Tail? Fairy Tail's a bunch of has-beens who have worn out their welcome. This is the era of Saber Tooth! We're the best guild in this band and you guys are just second-rate!"

The crowd hushed and Lucy unfurled her hand, clasping Juvia and Cana's hands. One by one, all of Fairy Tail joined hands as a show of solidarity and Natsu stepped forth. "Just remember this: we're a family. You insult any member of our family and you insult all of us."

Just like that, the entire guild turned as one and marched to the other end of the field. That sense of solidarity remained through both marching practice and guild practice. Even as they headed back to their cabin, Erza suggested a girl's night to continue that feeling. Naturally, her bed was the first thing Cana jumped on, to her displeasure. After a moment of pushing her off, the conversation naturally turned to boys and the upcoming Dance Festival. Most results were fairly unsurprising: Wendy happened to be going with Romeo "as friends", the other three "big couples" were supposedly up in the air, Elfman was with Evergreen, Max was in love with a broom, and Bickslow was taking Lisanna. Lucy kept her own secret to herself, and soon the topic changed.

"Let's talk about these Games," Cana said. The air in the room suddenly chilled. Determination, a greater determination than one aimed at confessing to Natsu, settled into her bones. This only increased at the hint that Mira was putting her up for sectionals. She was ready; her mother's piece was ready to go. All the girls were ready, putting their hands in proudly. "From here on out, we remain as one. We're Fairy Tail, so let's show them all just what kind of guild we are."

"Aye!"

* * *

With their declaration of victory, their final full day of practice was simply bursting with effort and determination. Looking at them now, Lucy felt no one would be able to tell that Fairy Tail had lost to Saber Tooth last year. Of course, that wasn't the only topic of attention; the Dance Festival was just as involved. Wendy, in particular, looked most mortified by its involvement, so Lucy quickly swooped in to save her from Chelia and drag her off to dinner.

"Hey, Luce, look what I can do!" Natsu yelled the second they stepped in the dining hall. Despite getting most annoyed at his insistent butchering of her name, she watched as he flung flaming chicken into the air and then jumped to catch them with his mouth. "Pretty cool, aye?" "You're so immature, brother," Wendy scolded him. "Though I get the feeling that dad would be proud." Lucy giggled at that when the doors suddenly slammed open.

"HEARTFILIA!" Lucy turned to see Minerva storming over before the older girl slapped her, nails digging into her face. "How dare you? ! How dare you contact your father? ! How dare you try to usurp my father's authority? ! You're nothing but a filthy peasant, unfit to lick royalty's shoe, much less use your money against them!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Lucy gasped in response. She had to not let anything slip, which was difficult, given Minerva had slapped her after every question, drawing blood.

"Don't play the dumb blonde card," Minerva said with another slap. "I just got a call from my father and he tells me that your father's company just announced intentions to provide money to the program. You can't even imagine how furious he was."

"Actually, I think I can," Lucy whispered. Then Minerva roughly grabbed her cheeks, having obviously heard her.

"He was livid, you little bitch! Now, here's what's going to happen, Fairy Trash. You'll tell your father to withdraw his funding, or we'll have another conversation like this very soon." Then, she let go, and Lucy crumpled. Tears fell from her eyes, mixing with the blood, from the pain. It hurt, and she didn't know what to do.

Natsu did, however, despite her protests.

"Hey, Minerva! Fuck off!"

Silence rattled the hall and Lucy's breath hitched. She wanted to scream for Natsu to stop, but she knew he wouldn't listen. Minerva turned, her lip twitching. "What did you say to me?" "You heard exactly what I said," Natsu responded angrily. "I'm sick of you acting so high and mighty. You and your entire guild."

"That's what royalty-"

"Oh, shut the fuck up already! Royalty this, royalty that…You're like a broken record! You're just like the rest of us, Minerva. You don't deserve special treatment; you don't get special treatment."

"How dare you talk to me that way, Fairy Tail Trash?" Lucy winced, the pain on her face causing her to cringe. It made her ears start to ring as Levy rubbed her comfortingly on the back. It was like she was only catching snippets of the conversation now.

"You see, you hurt Lucy, and that's a serious offense in my book. So I'm gonna make sure you never hurt anyone in this program ever again by beating your ass in the Games!" Natsu proclaimed before throwing his arms wide to the crowd. "The age of Fairy Tail is over? Screw that, we're just getting started! If anything, the era of Saber Tooth's reign is at an end, and that starts with you, _princess_."

Lucy couldn't help the smirk, as much as it hurt her face. Natsu really was one of a kind, and her heart was bursting with love for him. It helped that he could naturally draw people to him, like his other guildmates, who were now stepping forward to challenge Minerva with him. Of course, _she_ wasn't going down without a fight. "I think such boasting deserves a bet being placed on the table to settle this once and for all. Should Saber Tooth win the Games this year, you'll all agree to the program being shut down and rebuilt the way myself and my father envision it."

"Preposterous!" Erza yelled, but Natsu threw a hand out in front of her.

"What do we get if Fairy Tail wins?"

"Impossible, so choose whatever you'd like," the girl dismissed with a wave.

"Good. If Fairy Tail wins, then you leave the program and the school forever!" Natsu said with a little smirk. Minerva looked minutely displeased.

"I think that's an excellent proposal, Natsu," boomed Makarov's voice. At this, Lucy flinched again, missing yet more of the conversation. Levy suddenly got under her and helped to pick her up just in time for an agreement to apparently be reached. "Excellent. Then if both yourself and Natsu can come with me to my office, we can draw up some paperwork so that neither of us reneges on the deal. Levy, Wendy, if you could escort Lucy to the nurse's station, I would most appreciate it."

"I'll come pick you up from there, Luce!" Lucy could only sigh for multiple reasons before slinging her arm over Levy, and the trio of girls left the dining hall. When they were finally out of earshot, Lucy lost it.

"That idiot!" she snapped angrily, even if a sense of pride bled through. "He bet the whole program just because Minerva slapped me around a bit?"

"A bit? You're bleeding onto my arm, Lu-chan," Levy scolded her. Lucy looked down and noticed it was true, quickly apologizing to her best girl-friend.

"Don't worry, Lucy. Auntie Porlyusica will fix you up in no time," Wendy assured her. Lucy smiled, wincing as she did so. "You know, I think Natsu cares about you more than you think he does."

"Wh-what? Where did that come from, Wendy?" Of course, she knew Wendy was well aware of her feelings, but this felt different.

"The boy's clearly in love with you," Levy concurred. "I mean, sure, he goes ballistic for all his friends, but standing up to Minerva was in a class of its own."

"Natsu does _not_ love me," Lucy attempted to deny, but she couldn't ignore that the evidence of the possibility was making her heart beat faster.

"I notice that you didn't deny the fact that you love him. Just tell him. I'm sure you'll feel better." She had no idea how true that was. Naturally, however, she still wanted to keep her feelings close to her chest and thus continued to deny.

"Levy, love does not exist for people our age, okay? Besides, I don't want to-"

"He does love you, though…well, as much as he can," Wendy interjected. "He told me as much, once."

"Then why hasn't he said anything to me?" the blonde asked pointedly as they stepped onto the nurse's station's porch. Natsu usually spoke his mind, so not saying anything could only mean he didn't feel anything.

"He says that actions speak louder than words." Lucy could have facepalmed at that, but it was _so_ Natsu. Knowing that, Lucy thanked Wendy before subjecting herself to the wrath of Porlyusica. Of course, the woman worked wonders, and she barely felt any pain by the time Natsu showed up, as promised. Surprisingly, they were able to share a comfortable silence, accented only by Lucy saying one thing.

"Let's…can we not tell everyone about the whole dat-dance thing. It's just…"

"No problem, Lucy!" It was surprising, but pleasant that he had agreed so easily.

Keeping things quiet was harder than it sounded, especially in their guild. Sure, practice was laser focused on winning (complete with confirmation that Lucy was playing in sectionals again), but beyond that, the Festival was becoming the main topic. Not that it was the _only_ topic, as Lucy had very much learned who had stolen that candy at her birthday party the previous year. She let it pass though, in favor of preparation. Said preparation was hindered by Natsu wanting to go to the pool (and, admittedly, some revenge teasing towards Wendy), but aided by his parents, who had shown up with her dress in tow. Turned out that Virgo had gotten sick and her father wasn't going to show up for a couple days.

With every other preparation set, the only thing Lucy had to do was steel her mind. She was going to make this next step. She was going to play that next note and confess. By the time Natsu had shown up at the door with Romeo, she was ready.

As usual for Magnolia High, they had gone all out for the Festival, with food galore and plenty of stands. The students were going all out, too. Yukino, in particular, looked very pretty, and Lucy commented as such. It was a good thing Minerva wasn't there, because Lucy allowed herself to have fun at all the contests that Natsu had signed them up for (which was all of them). Most were uneventful, save for an injury inducing karaoke contest.

Then came the heaven-sent Dance Contest.

"Don't step on my feet, Natsu. I need to be able to march with them," she told him teasingly.

"Oh yeah, well get ready, Lucy! You're about to have the best dance of your life!" Lucy scoffed at that, but summoned her courage as the music began. To her surprise, the two of them flowed seamlessly. She blinked as Natsu spun her and then dipped her effortlessly.

"S-since when have _you_ been able to dance?" Lucy asked in astonishment.

"I've been practicing," Natsu admitted. "You seemed really disappointed at our last dance, so, I thought I'd practice. Just don't tell Snow Cone."

 _Actions speak louder than words._ Wendy's words came back to her, and she realized how aptly they applied to Natsu. He hadn't said anything, but he had let his actions speak. He had practiced just to be able to dance so wonderfully with her. She smiled, tears pricking at her eyes. She'd found her perfect dance partner. Someone who infuriated her, tested her, pushed all her limits…but was always there as a source of optimism.

"Natsu," she said with solid resonance, "I love you."

"Really?" he asked, and he looked like he was about to laugh. "'Cause I do, too!"

"You do, do you?" Lucy asked with a smile., "And for how long exactly?"

"Don't know, but does it matter?" he said, now laughing a little as their dance neared its climax. "I love you, Lucy Heartfilia. To me, that's all that matters. Everything else is just details."

"You really are one of a kind, Natsu," she finished giggling out.

"Really now? I thought you were the weirdo in this relationship, _Loony_."

"Shut it, pyro!" But she didn't stop the grin on her face as the dance finished, but Natsu continued to hold her hand. Soon after the awards were announced. Much to her surprise, they won and Natsu dragged them to the stage. Her face was red with euphoria. It had been so simple, like a little note. Nothing big and nothing small. But it was real. Natsu suddenly kissing her on the stage confirmed that.

They were in love, and Lucy was certain they always would be.

No matter what would come their way, be it their victory in the Games or their next tussle with the Balam Demons and their defeat of Minerva, Lucy knew they'd be able to handle it together, through all the big and little things alike.

After all, Natsu and Lucy were best partners in every aspect.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And so, here we are. Of course, there are plot lines unresolved, but that's okay. If you want to see them resolved, go read Musical Chairs! The important thing is, Natsu and Lucy are together and I have shown the journey to get there. Hopefully, I've shown it well. Obviously, most of this chapter was events in Musical Chairs from Lucy's perspective. To that end, there was a lot of meaningless dialogue I had to cut to fit 7 chapters' worth of material into 1. I hope it was done right. Of course, there is still an epilogue to be had and that will come next week. That's right: no three week waiting period for that one! So, until then, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	15. Epilogue

**This is the epilogue of Musical Notes. I hope you've enjoyed this prequel until the very end. Thanks and see you at the bottom!**

* * *

Epilogue

 _Two Years Later…_

 _Summer, College Freshmen Year_

"So, you're all set, Lu-chan?" Levy's voice echoed in the bathroom. Lucy turned her head towards the phone on the bathroom sink, from which her best friend's voice was emanating. Taking a moment to file her big toenail, Lucy didn't answer right away.

"Yep," she finally said when she was certain her job was done to satisfaction. "Everything's packed and ready to go. Can't believe we're actually starting college in a few weeks."

"I know!" Levy gasped out over the phone. Lucy quickly hopped off the toilet she'd been seated upon to grab her phone and make her way into her room. For a moment, she tensed, just in case she had an uninvited guest. Thankfully, she didn't. "I'm so sad we won't be going to the same school."

"Well, Era has the best college for those going into Linguistics, right?" Lucy noted, stopping in front of her dresser and tapping her lips thoughtfully. "How does Gajeel feel about that, by the way? You never said."

"He's fine with it," Levy answered. "He tries to pass it off that he doesn't care, but his whole schedule is built around the fact that he wants to visit me every weekend."

"Figures," Lucy snickered out. "I think it'll just be weird for you to not be in band with us."

"Can't be helped. It's weird for me, too!" Levy laughed out. Lucy joined in before frowning at the selection of clothing before her. "But Era doesn't have a program…even though the National Council of Music is straight down the street. Guess it'll be a focused four years."

"Well, that just means you'll be the best linguist or translator out there," the blonde assured her. "Hey, maybe once I get published, you can translate my books into every language possible!"

"Sounds like a plan, Lu-chan!" Both girls shared another giggle at that one, ending with a sigh.

"Anyway, I have to get ready for my date with Natsu tonight."

"Ooh, big night, right? Two-year anniversary," Levy said, and Lucy could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone. Lucy smiled as well, fondly thinking of her boyfriend. It had been quite the two years since they had started dating. Of course, other than hand holding, kissing and…other things (though Lucy would swear it only started a month ago), not much was different from when they were simply best friends. Natsu was still the same loveable, immature guy who had managed to get into the Magnolia University Drum Corps. Meanwhile, she had been accepted into the literary program. Both of them were living at home, though Lucy had been thinking of suggesting an apartment to him.

"Something like that," Lucy answered.

"Well, you have fun. And be safe," Levy tacked on at the end. Lucy flushed as the bluenette hung up; she _really_ regretted telling Levy about that. Still, with the conversation finished, she was able to return her attentions to picking out an outfit for their date.

As she scanned through her skirts, underwear and tops, Lucy's mind inexorably flew back to the memories of the last two years. It felt like a lot had changed. After beating Saber Tooth in Junior Year's Grand Music Games, Minerva had left the school. Not that it stopped her vindictive tendencies until Wendy had been the one to step up to her. After that, Minerva was a non-issue and all the guilds actually began to get along. Thinking of Wendy, Lucy remembered that Natsu's little sister (who had grown up quite a bit) would be heading to her own Junior year camp with Romeo, the two of them having dated for almost two years.

Lucy clapped her hands together, finally selecting a blue skirt that wasn't too short, but was short enough to show her legs off to her boyfriend. It seemed shameless, but wasn't. Selecting a nice top, admittedly with a bit of cleavage, Lucy sat on her bed to change, reminiscing on all the other things that had changed. Gray and Juvia had gotten together and were still together, to everyone's surprise; the two of them would also be attending Magnolia University with them. Also, there were Erza, Jellal, Laxus and Mira, both in relatively stable relationships. Well, Laxus and Mira's was as stable as their rocky relationship could be.

Of course, most of the relationships in their group weren't all that rocky. Loke really was still with Aries, even if they both admitted his eyes could wander from time to time. Bisca and Alzack had also gotten out of their "can't spit it out" phase and married the previous summer. They'd also already had a baby girl named Asuka, despite being in college. Their parents were the most doting grandparents ever seen. If anyone else in their circle of friends had a rocky relationship, it was Yukino, but that was what happened when you had two guys vying for your attentions that were best friends (and one had dropped his asshat ways).

Either way, she and Natsu were beyond solid.

Fixing her clothes in the mirror, Lucy winked at herself before nabbing her purse and leaving her room. Deciding to grab a glass of water before Natsu arrived, Lucy made her way to the kitchen. On her way there, she noticed her father on a couch in the living room, reading a newspaper. For the moment, the blonde ignored him in favor of her water, but she decided to engage him in conversation upon her return to the room.

"What are you looking at?" she asked him. He turned to her and shook his head with a smile upon seeing her appearance.

"Just little things. Not often I get the chance to just sit back," her father answered her. "You're certainly dressed up. Date with Natsu?"

"Yeah," Lucy answered, sitting on the edge of the couch and flattening her skirt. "It's pretty much our two-year anniversary, but I have no idea what Natsu has planned, so I thought I'd dress simple, but sexy."

"Because I definitely want to hear about my daughter looking 'sexy'," Jude remarked. Lucy wanted to laugh about it, but didn't, opting for a smile. "Well, you look lovely. Natsu is _very_ lucky to have you."

"I'd say we're lucky to have each other," she said, patting her father's knee. He seemed a bit preoccupied, grabbing her hand and looking over it. The whole thing struck her as slightly odd, but she shrugged it off. "Guess I really am Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, after all."  
"Hmm," Jude vocalized. "Well, I'm happy for you. Natsu's a good, young man…if a little boisterous. Don't let go of him."

"Dad, we've been dating for two years and have known each other for almost half our lives now," Lucy reminded him, retracting her hand. "Neither of us is letting go, no matter what. We're Fairy Tail. We never give up!"

"Ha ha, so true," her father responded, folding up his newspaper. "You know, years ago, before the operation, I'd have decried you being friends with him. Now, though, after knowing him for so long…I wouldn't mind him being an addition to the family."

"Please, dad," Lucy scoffed disbelievingly, "let's not talk about things so ridiculously far in the future that we don't even know if it'll happen. Knowing Natsu, he'd probably skip the proposal and think we're already married."

"Hmm…" Sparing another glance at her pensive father, Lucy fixed her skirt. Then she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well, I'm off. Later, dad!" He seemed to have enough presence of mind to bid her farewell, but Lucy had already zoned him out. Putting on some decorative sandals, Lucy stepped out the door just in time to see Natsu pulling up the driveway. He waved energetically at her and she waved back before walking over and getting in. Once she had, she immediately leaned in and kissed him briefly. "So, where to?"

"Somewhere awesome," he replied. Lucy rolled her eyes; sometimes he was just so aggravating. At least he wasn't puking his guts out. Now she just had to worry about him setting something on fire. For the moment, however, she'd just have fun and forget about all that stuff. Natsu backed out and the car shot off.

Lucy leaned back, folding her arms as the manor grew smaller and smaller. Though she didn't say anything, she had to wonder where Natsu was taking them. Were they driving far? Or staying local? In which case, why did they need a car? She got her answer when he pulled up in front of their old middle school.

"Uh…we're going on a tour?" Lucy asked as she stepped out of the car. Natsu looked shaky as he did so, but his patch seemed to hold and he recovered.

"Nah, this is just for the memories," Natsu answered her, smiling up at the school. Lucy joined him in doing so, thinking of all the crazy times they'd had since meeting in that school's halls. Each of them, the good and the bad, was a cherished memory. "All right, let's go!"

"To where exactly?" was the obvious follow-up. Naturally, Natsu refused to answer, instead digging into the trunk of his car to pull out a large cooler, an umbrella, and what looked like a folded up table and chairs. For a moment, Lucy thought he'd be able to hold them all, but when it became obvious he wouldn't, she stepped in to help.

"Now we can go!" Lucy only shook her head and followed her boyfriend. They must have looked odd, walking down the street, at least to those who didn't know them. None of that mattered when Natsu led them into a copse of trees, winding through them, until they had emerged at the sight of a practical glowing pond. Lucy blinked at the sight. "Sweet, huh? I found it a couple weeks ago. Reminds me of the night I asked you to the Festival."

"I'm honestly surprised…" Lucy breathed. Natsu just grinned at her before grabbing the table and chairs, setting them up and sticking the umbrella overhead. Once that was done, he snapped the tablecloth over it along with some candles and a platter of fancy sandwiches. "A picnic?"

"Thought it'd be nice. Set the mood and all."

"It does. Thanks." With those words, the couple took a seat. "Did you make these?"  
"Come on, Lucy! You know me better than to ask that!"

"Right, so it was your mother," Lucy laughed out as she swiped a sandwich. As dates went, it wasn't extravagant, but it felt just right. "What are we going to do when we live together? I have rudimentary cooking skills at best."

"Then _I'll_ learn!" Natsu proclaimed. "Give me a couple years and I'll be able to make stuff without burning it."

"More like a couple decades," she teased back. Natsu playfully glared at her, but his expression soon changed to one of serious proportions.

"Do you want to, then?" he asked. She looked up from her half-eaten sandwich to glance at him quizzically. "Live together?"

"At some point," Lucy answered honestly. "I want to get through freshmen year, at least. But we spend so much time together, it's like we live together anyway. You know all this, Natsu."

"Yeah, but sometimes I like to confirm," he said seriously. A pause passed between them. "And…you love me, right?"

"What kind of question is that? You know I do! The same way I know you love me-"

"How?" Lucy blinked again. "What made you fall in love with me?"

"Natsu," she said worryingly, "this isn't like you."

"Can you tell me? Please?" Lucy sat back in her chair and pondered it. It was so similar to that question that Wendy had asked two summers ago. To that end, Lucy knew the answer.

"Everything made me fall in love with you, even if it took you almost going ballistic on Saber Tooth for Erza's sake to notice it," Lucy admitted. "I guess what I'm saying…about how I fell for you is that…It's the big, grand gestures that make you realize you're in love, but it's the little things, the musical notes, that make you fall in love in the first place. Just those ordinary, everyday things that make me love you every day, no matter how annoying you get."

"That's great, then!" Natsu said once she was finished. He looked happier, bounding out of his chair to come around to her side. "I love you, too, Lucy! Every day you make me love you more, even if you're weird, because you're Lucy! That's why I want to always have those everyday moments with you. So, will you marry me, Lucy?"

She could admit to shutting down a moment as Natsu got down on his knee and presented a ring, one he'd no doubt been saving up for, to her with a wild grin. Lucy's breath caught, completely surprised, but she knew her answer from the beginning. There were no tears or screams, but a simple, soft smile.

"Yes," she said. His grin grew wider and she was forced to hold a finger up. "Only after we've graduated from college, though."

"Deal," he said, taking to opportunity to slip the ring on her finger and kiss her. "This way we have four years to plan the wedding! Now I just gotta tell Wendy!"

"Text her later. We're on a date," Lucy reminded him. He smiled sheepishly and pulled her out of the chair. Her new ring glinted in the light of the candles and she swelled with glee.

"All right! Now, come on, fiancée, let's go on more adventures together!" There was only one response to that.

"Yeah!"

As the two started to randomly dance to silent music, Lucy stared into her fiancé's eyes. As boyfriend material, Natsu was so easy to miss, yet he captivated her all the same. He took every day, every note, and made it special. Now they'd go to the next movement of their lives together.

Lucy wouldn't have it any other way.

THE END

* * *

 **Author's Note: Here we are, at the end again. Now, this epilogue was set during a part of Musical Chairs' epilogue but obviously entirely different, given the point of view. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it. A couple notes. For one, that pond where the finale was, you may recognize it if you read Musical Measures. Just want to say that. Now, before anyone asks, will there be a sequel? I honestly don't know. Right now, most of my efforts are toward completing my Ancienverse stories for Pokémon, and for finishing the Vengeance Series for Fullmetal Alchemist. I don't want to add another project because keeping the schedule this time was killer. Do I have an idea for a sequel? Yes, I know what I could do, but I'm not totally ready.**

 **On a different note, I have to ask: how did I do on characterization? This is my third story written exclusively from a female point of view, and as a male, I wonder how it comes across. I'd also like to hope I keep the characters in-character as much as possible. But that's about all I have. I hope you enjoyed this fun ride and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, now that it's complete. So, with that, please Review, and, now and forever,**

 **Dare to Be Silly,**

 **Epicocity**


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